


ACT 6 ACT 6: Hacking To The Gate

by calumTraveler



Series: Stargate: Alternia [13]
Category: Half-Life, Hiveswap, Homestuck, Myst Series, Stargate - All Media Types, Stargate Atlantis, Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: A LOT of Recaps, A case of movie-stunt arson, All the occasional musical content, Asgard (Stargate), Don't Try This At Home, Don't copy to another site, Hallway Brawls, Hircine's Plane of Oblivion, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Restoration of Missing Memories, Some serious body horror, Someone gets mauled by a werewolf, Stable Time Loops, Temporal Mishaps, Time Travel, Uru/Myst 5 Bahro, Wraith (Stargate), a lot of big explosions, a mild case of 'protecting people for their own good' gaslighting (and thats still terrible), a much more serious case of a lying cheater who lies and cheats, a terminal case of not listening to people who know how to speak technobabble, death by broken hyperspace window, death by vaporization, lycanthropy, none of these are joke tags btw, okay maybe not all of it, stargate atlantis season 5, the G-man is a jerk, uhhh can i have a case of exploding stargates?, unsafe hyperdrive engine operations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:21:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 35
Words: 143,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22019299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calumTraveler/pseuds/calumTraveler
Summary: "Critical Limit In Three--" The shield started to raise."Two--" It completed a bubble just in the nick of time-"On--" FWABWAAAAAAAAAAAAM!And then a Miniature Sun replaced the Stargate in the Atlantis Gateroom.
Series: Stargate: Alternia [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/836265
Comments: 212
Kudos: 14





	1. > [S] CHIXIE: Recap

**Author's Note:**

> You Know The Drill.

_**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 4TH, 1996.**_  
  
 _A young Chixie stepped onto stage in the dark, and waited as the spotlights began to click on, highlighting her presence there for the audience._  
  
 _As she took a breath and waited for the back track for the song IGNITE began to play..._  
  
 _Our camera_ jumps back in time to a certain boat in 1939 in the Atlantic Ocean on Earth, zipping up to the hull of the boat as a Stargate Vortex punches a hole in its side.  
  
Jaffa began exiting the Gate- gunned down in silence _as our view briefly switches back to Chixie, tapping her foot idly, even as the DJ of the hour did the introductions._  
  
"And now, we of the Veil are glad to announce and introduce to you an up and coming new talent- Chixie Roixmr! She'll be singing a cover of the Sword Art Online anime's opening 'IGNITE'!"  
  
 _There was a brief round of applause, people unsure of what to make of the girl just yet..._  
  
 _And then finally, as the cue was had, and Chixie started to sing along with the music... It's not her younger voice we hear, nor the arrangement from that time, but instead, as time shifts ahead further ahead, we hear a future arrangement, and newer vocals from her older, future self._

[ _**[You Long to set the world straight-]** _ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrOL0NzCzWo)

Our view returns to Ba'al finding himself with a shotgun pressed up against his face.

 _ **[But you will fail if you wait or hesitate!]**_  
  
A far older Cassandra Fraiser yelled out something in silence as Chixie Sang.  
  
 ** _[So Take Aim And Pull the Trigger Back!]_**  
  
She squeezed the trigger- a flash of the Shotgun flared out- and crimson red splashed across green threads- as they rocketed forwards across time and space.  
  
It spread rapidly- soaking into the threads as time itself was put back into order.  
  
For a moment, the logo appears as a knot-work of stitches, before being soaked over in blood.  
  
 **O) < \--STARGATE: ATLERNIA-- >(O**  
  
 _ **[There was a time, when I knew of love and amity...]**_  
  
And then the blood soaked threads passed by a moment on Earth in 1994- as Joey Claire stared, watching on as the Stargate activated for the first time.  
  
 _ **[But it faded like the warmth inside a falling tear.]**_  
  
It continued forwards- past the rebellion on Abydos- and past the explosion of Khepri's battleship over the planet -And past the moment where Joey flung herself through the stargate in the Florida house to avoid being shot up.  
  
 _ **[Is it a crime to see fault in our humanity?]**_  
  
It drives past O'neill and Teal'c in Chulak's prison- and the fight that ensued to secure the Stargate for escape-  
  
 _ **[Why do we create this cycle of hate, breeding more fear?]**_  
  
-And then past the moment of the All Your Base crashing into the desert.  
  
 _Younger Chixie gazed out over the audience of unfamiliar trolls, and continued to sing her debut performance while her future self continued to cover it elsewhen-_  
  
 ** _[There's a pain deep inside of me]_**  
  
A young Jude offered his hand to a young, withdrawn Cassandra. And she takes it-  
  
 _ **[And you're struggling to stay alive]**_  
  
-Moments later, the blood flashes past them struggling to pull Davis Strider back into the control room as a bomb ticks down about to dentonate infront of the Black Hole connected Stargate.  
  
 _ **[But if we last I know- we'll live to see a brighter tomorrow!]**_  
  
Joey, Xefros, Mierfa, Dammek, Okurii, Callie, and Salazl stand infront of the Stargate on the Base, gazing at it with hope for the future.  
  
 ** _[You Long to set the world straight-]_**  
  
Joey swung her Laser sword- disarming Trizza of the Bracelet--  
  
 ** _[But will fail if you wait or hesitate!]_**  
  
In Parallel, a split screen later, The false Heiress Reenah Kraken in the past Abdicated by disarming herself of the Bracelet with Joey's laser sword.  
  
 ** _[So Take Aim And Pull the Trigger Back!]_**  
  
The Blood continues to soak through the green threads of the Cairo Overcoat- even as Lord English roared- standing on the mouth of his snake ship- CONSUMING the very souls of the ORI ASCENDANTS.  
  
 _ **[Through every fear that you fight~~ ]**_  
  
Jonas stands watching in horror as Daniel grabs at a live Naquadria core to disarm a bomb- and a split-frame later of Daniel ASCENDING serves as the transition to-  
  
 ** _[You're giving life to a Spark of Crimson Red!]_**  
  
\--A laser beam shot down from Anubis' ship- crimson red, striking down at the Abydos Pyramid--  
  
 _ **[It Burns Bright Just Waiting to Ignite!]**_  
  
It strikes a suddenly appearing shield, and is reflected right back at the ship that fired it as a burst of emerald green lightning.  
  
 _ **[As our impulses ring aloud- ]**_  
  
John, Jade, and Argo stand along with Jude and Cassie as they watch Anubis' ship explode--  
  
 _ **[This world's evolving to the sound- ]**_  
  
\--Serving to a transition to his ship over Earth exploding dramatically from Drone Fire as the Astro and Delta Megazords stand triumphantly alongside the Prometheus.  
  
 _ **[Of a New Beginning!]**_  
  
 _Younger Chixie takes a breath, grinning like a loon-_ as the scene transitions to her elder self in the far flung year of 2003, picking up with the next verse.  
  
 ** _[It cries at last-]_**  
  
The blood soaked threads continue along their path-   
  
_**[That relentless sound I know so well]**_  
  
-Flowing past Joey's team as they recover the ARK OF TRUTH from the Denizen TYPHEUS.  
  
 _ **[Always deafening but I can never pull away]**_  
  
-And past their using it on CETUS.   
  
_**[The die is cast-]**_  
  
-Past Ganos Lal being stabbed with a sword of fire-  
  
 _ **[And you can't restart or change the past!]**_  
  
-And the murderer being exploded via Mofang Tech Replicators VITRIFICATION, resulting in a crater with a blast of red sand.  
  
 _ **[But if given only one more chance could you carve the way?]**_  
  
-And centuries in Earth's past, Artoria Pendragon threw herself into a cryogenics pod to save her own life.  
  
 _ **[I can feel it waste away inside]**_  
  
-The blood continued on, past Replicator Daniel glaring across subspace at a Replicator Carter, and the one known as FIFTH.  
  
 _ **[But the fire in me hasn't died]**_  
  
-Past Ba'al laughing over a Galaxy Map as English's fleets were subject to his mercy.  
  
 _ **[And I would rather sell my soul than watch it all slowly fade away!]**_  
  
-And past Teal'c and Bra'tac made a desperate plea to the others of the Jaffa Rebellion.  
  
 _ **[I'm Sick of being afraid- and living by these mistakes that I have made!]**_  
  
The City of Atlantis rocked- and ASCENDED upwards through the ocean.   
  
_**[But I'll change that with these hands of mine!]**_  
  
Kolya aimed his gun at Elizabeth Weir, and pulled the trigger. FLASH- Mckay yells in horror. Sheppard yells into his radio with rage.  
  
 ** _[Believing in something more!]_**  
  
Above the planet where Maybourne was king- a Time Jumper cloned itself through subtle, quick loops-  
  
 _ **[I'll carve a path through that rusted doorway!]**_  
  
-Daniel was beamed away while on the phone- Jonas was beamed away right before Mitchel's eyes-  
  
 ** _[Still there's more that's still worth fighting for!]_**  
  
The Ultrazord struck a pose as it burst out of English's TIME STOP.  
  
 ** _[Our Battle cry is rising higher- ]_**  
  
Within the power core- Joey Claire SUNG- and the Ultrazord shoved English's Mech into the Supergate.  
  
 _ **[As raw emotion fuels the fire-]**_  
  
The Jaffa on Dakara fought bravely against the Replicators-  
  
 _ **[Piercing through the night sky!]**_  
  
And Cassandra flew the DAEDALUS into the outer rim of a Black Hole to shake the Hatak chasing them.  
  
In rapid fire- with events overlaid ontop of Cassandra navigating that death field- we see the Supergate Kawoosh destroying a Hatak- then Alternia explodes- The Dakara weapon fires, dusting Replicators all over- English being shoved through the Supergate yet again- Ba'al beaming away- and finally, the Daedalus escaping the Blackhole, and rocketing past the Stargate in orbit.   
  
_**[The shooting stars fall upon the darkness-]**_  
  
We see Joey claiming the Tablet from the Toldemer Keep..  
  
 _ **[Until the skies are pitch black and starless-]**_  
  
Ford's eyes open- one clouded over pitch black.  
  
 _ **[But when the world is reborn the curtains open wide!-]**_  
  
We see Atlantis Take Flight to escape the Replicator laser beam-  
  
-As a bahro raises the Tablet high, and smashes it against the nearest available hard surface-  
  
-Glass Shatters as the laser grazes the Central Tower.  
  
 _ **[You Long to set the world straight- but you will fail if you wait or hesitate!]**_  
  
Lightning Flashes across a stormy night sky- forming briefly into the shape of a tree.  
  
 _ **[So Take Aim And Pull the Trigger Back!]  
  
**_ Mordred joins SG-1 in the hunt for the Sangraal with determination.  
  
 _ **[Through every fear that you fight~~ ]**_

Damara's Giant MirrorGate Activates with a Kawoosh-   
  
_**[You're giving life to a Spark of Crimson Red!]**_  
  
Mordred roars- dragging Excaliber across the resulting rift in space time.  
  
 _ **[It Burns Bright Just Waiting to Ignite!]**_  
  
Ford is back stabbed by Medea- his powers rushing across the room just as the blood continues to soak into the threads of the Overcoat.  
  
 _ **[As our impulses ring aloud- ]**_  
  
Medea's Hiveship suffers a critical existence failure as the Daedalus obliterates it via Hyperbeam strikes.  
  
 _ **[This world's evolving to the sound- ]**_  
  
The full historical roster of SG-1 stands before the extraction ceremony of the last Goa'uld System Lord.   
  
_**[Of a New Beginning!]**_  
  
As the older Chixie finishes her song, and the audience cheers, she remembers the same moment years in the past- _of her younger self concluding her singing with_ _an excited smile that just grew wider as the audience erupted into loud, rancorous cheers._  
  
 _They liked her then!_ And they really like her even now, all these years later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome Back, everyone, to our penultimate Act! 
> 
> Well, this chapter was basically my last opening of act recap and I decided to have fun with it. Of course, I may go a bit wild with extra specific recaps later on down the line just to ensure I get a thorough coverage, but even so... YAY. FINAL ACT OPENING RECAP!
> 
> Funny thing. I was originally going to use the first cover LeeandLie did of Ignite all those years ago, but right about when I was writing this recap, a NEW COVER of it came up, and, well, since the lyrical words hadn't changed, it was pretty easy and made narrative sense to replace the original cover with a future version in both meta and in universe ways! 
> 
> This Recap also serves as a point of reference to show that yes, the Timeline has indeed worked itself out again after Ba'al messed it all up after Continuum. The theme of this Act is Actions, Consequences, Reactions, and Tying up of Loose Ends. You'll be seeing quite a lot of those dangling threads get stitched into place or trimmed off through this act. There's... a lot that I've left hanging and it all comes to a head in this act. 
> 
> That said, if anyone has a favorite dangling plot thread I haven't addressed yet, leave a comment down below asking about it and I may be able to work it into the act that follows if I haven't already accounted for it!
> 
> This is it, Folks. Welcome to Act 6 Act 6. 
> 
> _Calum Traveler


	2. SGA:05X01: Overture of Continuity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we explore the Aftershocks of Continuum.

**EARTH DATE: JULY 11TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 01/21/0007.**  
  
The ocean soared below the camera's perspective for a moment- before a shadow entered the frame- a humanoid figure with large, bat shaped wings.  
  
With a Flap of those very wings- [Music begins to play](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgREiPOGGL4).

The camera pans upwards, revealing the CITY OF ATLANTIS as the destination of the figure flying towards it- Artoria Gray, her wings spread wide, occasionally flapping to maintain altitude.  
  
Behind her by some ways- the two components of the Ruby Lancer Mecha flew in formation on either side of a Puddle Jumper.  
  
[0:10]  
  
Gray flapped her wings again- tilting to circle around the City, taking in the view with a faint smile on her face.   
  
All across the City, people were active and moving about, and she could feel each and every one of them as a whole.   
  
If she focused strongly, she could pick up individual thoughts or talk to them... but thanks to three stronger links taking priority at any given moment, the vast majority was easy to tune out.   
  
[0:20]  
  
Gray lead a lap around the northern pier, gazing briefly into the sky where two of the planet's moons could be seen. The others followed behind- their shared link allowing them to keep pace with her.  
  
She cast her gaze down at one of the exposed balconies adjacent to the Cafeteria- and she saw people gathering for morning breakfast.  
  
Teyla sat with John, Argo, and Jade- in a high chair next to them was young Lizzy, and in Teyla and Jade's arms were their own recently born children.   
  
[0:30]  
  
Nearby, at another table, Keller, Ronon, and Mckay were discussing something humorous, their laughter visible and their high mood reaching up all the way out here.  
  
Tyzias, Barzum, and Daraya sat at another table opposite from Keiko, Mallek, Silica, and Minori. Two different sets of conversations were going on, but mingling.  
  
Gray's eyes darted around the other areas- spotting her Lord, Waver El Melloi the Second, sitting casually opposite of Janet Fraiser as they ate their own breakfasts.   
  
[0:37]  
  
Waver sipped at his tea, and glanced upwards, giving her a small wave by raising the hand holding the tea cup.  
  
Gray grinned, and performed a stunt that would become the subject of the day's casual discussion- Was it a BARREL ROLL or an AILERON ROLL?  
  
The Jumper, and two Lancer Ships performed the same end over end roll in response, prompting much applause from those watching it before the quartet went out of sight, circling counter clockwise around the city towards its West Pier.  
  
[0:48]  
  
Down at the edge of the city, Gray could see Jimmyy O'neill, Morgan Carter, Roxy Lalonde, and Callie Ohphee all casually enjoying the morning and fishing away without a care.  
  
Gray laughed as Ruby suggested a flight course change, and she diverted into the city itself- swaying and dodging between buildings on the West pier. The Lancers and the Jumper fell into line behind her, changing formation.  
  
[0:57]  
  
They weren't the only ones getting such early morning flight exercise in, Gray noticed, as AR-9 was performing a game of tag with Armadn's Dragon projection and a Jumper.  
  
Gray waved briefly at the Alternian within the projected Dragon as they crossed paths for a moment- sharing the same airspace in the gap between the Western Pier and the South-Western Pier.   
  
Armadn waved back, then had his dragon break right- out to sea- with his Jumper trailing behind. Gray broke left, with her teammates following faithfully.  
  
[1:08]  
  
With a flap of her wings to gain some more height- Gray began weaving between the buildings of the South-West pier, making her way inwards towards the center of the City.  
  
Closer, closer... Closer still..  
  
[1:15]  
  
Then, they reached the center of the city, and Gray began to spiral upwards- circling around the Central tower with a slowly decreasing radius.   
  
The Lancers and the Jumper followed suit- circling around on much the same course without much problem.  
  
Gray's eyes peered over the side of the tower where a burn scar was mostly covered up with repairs and changes- now gleaming golden-bronze against the side of the otherwise silver-gray tower.  
  
[1:25]  
  
And within moments, she passed over the top of Atlantis' central spire, and shifted down for the open hatch to make for her and her team's landing.  
  
She landed without trouble- wings folding up loosely against the sides of her chest- and the others entered the Jumper Bay moments later.  
  
Gray looked to her right hand as they began the landing process, and flexed her fingers for a moment.   
  
Then, she tuned her gaze upwards at the sky still visible through the open bay roof, and smiled.   
  


* * *

[ **O <\--- STARGATE ATLANTS --->O** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0K2bRdtGlg)

* * *

**EARTH DATE: JULY 22ND, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 02/01/0007.**  
  
Your name is Argo Lalonde, and you stop in surprise as you enter the Conference Room and find that the table has been replaced after being ordered to be swapped out last week.  
  
"’Twelve Foot Long Mahogany, Piece of Home’ finally got installed?" you ask, rhetorically.  
  
"Yeeep" John Sheppard nods from his seat at the table. "No Woolsey yet?"  
  
"He got held up by Chuck about something," you answer, moving to take your seat next to him, and adjacent to the head of the table where Woolsey will no doubt take his seat.  
  
Oooh. That’s not a bad chair. Nicer than the old conference room chairs. Did these come with the Table? You think they came with the table. Reminds you of Hammond’s old chair, actually.   
  
Hrm, wait. If you didn’t order these, then...?  
  
"Morning," Ronon Dex says, sitting down across the table from you, next to Teyla Emmagan, who seems tired.  
  
"Morning," you say to him, then to Teyla, "You doin' okay, Teyla?"   
  
"The last few nights, Torren refuses to go to sleep unless I am holding him and walking him," Teyla answers with a tired smile. "Thankfully, he doesn't seem to mind sharing a crib with Casey in the nursery."  
  
You giggle, and say, "Awwh, they're already friends!"  
  
"We're just lucky Lizzy's decided to be a protective big sister and not be jealous," John says, sipping at his coffee. "I was getting worried she was going to start getting demanding for our attention."  
  
"Atleast there's that," you agree. "Though we might have to move to a bigger suite before long. Maybe something with extra bedrooms."  
  
"The Ancestors did seem to have... issues with making large rooms for their living quarters in this City," Teyla agrees.  
  
“I’m just lucky I grabbed a room with a shower,” Ronon smirks. “I still don’t know how some people manage it.”  
  
“Oh, well, that’s all a matter of-” Rodney Mckay starts to slip into the conversation, having gotten a fresh cup of coffee from a nearby dispenser and moving to sit down next to John.   
  
“It was a rhetorical question, Mckay,” Ronon says. “I was being rhetorical.”  
  
“Oh. Right. Fair enough.” Rodney goes to sip at his coffee. He winces. “Ooh! That’s hot!”  
  
Almost simultaneously, Keller hisses from over at the coffee machine, and quickly slaps a lid on her cup before grabbing spare napkins and starts soaking up some spilled coffee that poured onto the coffee table in the corner of the room.  
  
“Is she alright?” You ask. “She looks even more tired than Teyla- no offense, Telya.”  
  
“None taken,” She says.  
  
“I asked,” Rodney says. “Apparently she stayed up all night looking into Medea and Ford’s database for info on anything that could help save Ford and get him out of stasis. Fell asleep at her desk.”  
  
“I thought Doctor Fraiser was working on that?” Ronon asks.  
  
“Didn’t she return to Earth yesterday morning?” Teyla asks.  
  
“Apparently some long lost Relative of Doctor Fraiser’s sent her an email and said they wanted to meet,” John says.   
  
“Yeah, and put me in a real bind,” Keller says, joining you at the table. She sits next to Rodney. “Would you believe that there are over fifteen different permutations on any number of Wraith enzymes that could promote cell regeneration?”  
  
You nod. “I can buy that.”  
  
“How about A hundred fifty?” Keller asks.  
  
“...A bit of a stretch but sure,” you not.  
  
“Fifteen hundred?” Keller offers.  
  
“Nooo...” you gasp.  
  
“Oh, yeah,” Keller nods. “Thankfully Janet already went through about 900 of them before she left, but it was still a hell of a lot to go thrr---” she yawns. “OoOoouUgh. Ugh. I need my sleep.”  
  
“Don’t we all!” Woolsey says, entering the room and taking his seat. “Sorry I’m late, but Chuck had me checking off some last minute World Travel Requests that came through the system.”  
  
He’s dressed in the same new style of Uniform that came along with Carter and Jolinar’s brief rule over Atlantis- but he looks so out of place. Less like the Lawyer he is and more like some random Star Trek Officer.  
  
“World Travel Requests?” John asks. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”  
  
“We do have three different means of crossing from planet to planet, Colonel,” Woolsey says, shaking his head and decaptchaloging several large folders of documents.

Hoo. This is gonna be a long briefing.  
  
“Fair enough,” John says. “Anyone coming through we should be aware of since it’s ‘last minute’?”  
  
“Apparently Mordred Pendragon and Cameron Mitchel of SG-1 are taking their vacation days off here,” Woolsey shakes his head. “Can’t imagine why Atlantis would be any more relaxing than Diaspora or Earth.” He coughs. “Anyways. Let’s get started, shall we?”  
  
And on that system programmed announced cue, the Conference Room Doors trigger their closing protocol, making Woolsey jump in surprise in his seat before settling.   
  
“Alright, First of all, I’d like to congratulate you all on the success you’ve had dismantling what’s left of Ford and Medea’s organization- disogranized as it was.”  
  
“Except for the fact Medea’s still missing,” Ronon says.  
  
“Well, we don’t know if the teleport magic Miss Ayano saw successfully fired or not,” Woolsey checks a file. “For all we know she was still on the cruiser in orbit over... M2S-445 when it was destroyed.”  
  
“Or stuck on Hoth,” Rodney jokes.  
  
“Either way,” Woolsey says. “Until we have explicit eye to eye visual confirmation that Medea is still around, we’ll operate as if she’s Presumed Dead.”  
  
“Speaking from experience,” John says, “that’s liable to come back and bite us in the butt, Sir. But... I can’t think of anything else to do except continue to dismantle everything she and Ford left behind.”  
  
“Speaking of what they left behind, how is the matter of the rehabilitation of those we’ve been able to rescue from her clutches going?” Woolsey asks.  
  
“Uh, well-” Keller coughs. “Well, I mean. It’s going well. With Kanaan as our willing test subject for the bulk of the work, we’ve been able to create a retro virus similar to the original one Doctor Beckett came up with, undoing most of the damage and mutations she did to some of these people. Of those with the lowest number of mutations, we’ve basically got them back to human and stable and ready to go home.”  
  
“Without any lasting ill-effects?” Woolsey asks.  
  
“None that we’ve detected so far,” Keller says. “Though, we’ve had a bit more trouble with the- ah... Unique cases? Multiple sets of foreign DNA are harder to work around. One girl- Victoria- got hit hard with Cow, Pig, Dog, Cat, and Lizzard DNA in addition to the base Wraith genomes. It’s a miracle she even looks human, honestly.”  
  
“Let’s give it another week for observation on those cured, and in the mean time see if you can accelerate the worse cases to a better state,” Woolsey decides. “We’ll re-evaluate the situation then and make a decision.”  
  
Nobody can really argue there- and Teyla just looks thankful that her people were spared the vast majority of torment in this timeline.  
  
“Now then, regarding the situation with our friend in the stasis pod...” Woolsey moves onto another folder. “...What is the situation with Aiden Ford as it stands?”  
  
“Doctor Fraiser’s been handling the research on finding a cure for the last few weeks since we took out Medea,” Keller says. “But due to personal family matters she had to leave yesterday and I’ve gone through the data. But there’s been a lot of data to sift through. Over fifteen hundred different entries for the type of solution we think could work to save Ford.”  
  
“And have you found one?” Woolsey asks.  
  
“...Maybe,” Keller considers it. “I’ve run a few lab tests that have given promising results, but I’ll need to consult with Doctor Fraiser when she gets back before either of us will sign off on saying it’ll work...”  
  
“Alright,” Woolsey nods. “...But I’m sensing there’s a but coming?”  
  
“The main problem is that Ford was near death when we put him in stasis,” Keller says. “I’m worried that any solution we come up with won’t be permanent.”  
  
“And you’re saying the problem may never go away?” Woolsey asks.  
  
“It’s a distinct possibility,” Keller nods.  
  
“Very well,” Woolsey says. “Wait for Doctor Fraiser’s return to take up the subject again and make a decision. Until then, put the matter aside, and get back to your regular duties.”  
  
“R-Right,” Keller nods.  
  
“Alright... moving along then...” Woolsey continues on to the next folder. "What's the update on the situation with the Replicator Cloned AR-1?"  
  
Rodney's turn to speak and hoo. Techno jargon babble babble.  
  
Yeah.  
  
This is going to be a long meeting...

* * *

"Okay, but all I'm saying is, Brain-To-Interface VR is probably the stupidest idea in the history of any kind of Virtual Reality technology to ever exist!" Gordon Freeman was rambling aloud, his thoughts much the same, as you hand him his lunch order. "It's all about the heads up display infront of the face. Doesn't matter *HOW* much latency or the screen door effect affects you, it's going to be the SAFEST VR tech in the history of VR tech."  
  
_[No nope nope no way! Mind Interface VR is a slippery slope to never knowing your reality! I'm never stepping foot near one of those things ever! I'm not locking myself into the possibility I'm stuck in some Combine torture scenario!]_  
  
Just behind him next in line was Major Lorne, who was rolling his eyes. "Sure thing, Gordon. But here's the real trick- Mind Interfaces let you actually train muscle memory!"  
  
_[God, Freeman. Paranoid much??]_  
  
"Mental muscle memory, sure," Freeman grouched... and then the two of them left the line, and you exhale slightly as their mental presence draws away enough for you to block them out.  
  
Your name is Boldir Lamati, and you shake your head to clear your thoughts. Normally, filtering all of this is easy, but... normally you've got Diemen in close personal proximity to anchor your mind to.  
  
Alas, Diemen is busy in a meeting with Richard Woolsey over the food budget right now.   
  
You'll just have to deal until he gets back.  
  
Marinette enters the cafeteria for her shift- [Fucking Alya Just Leave Me Alone Please Please Please Just Leave Me Alone] -angry enough that her thoughts project across the room as easily as if she were standing right next to you. Damn it.  
  
"Yo, Mari," Chloe intercepts- good moirail, best friend- "you look like you could do with some dough that needs punching. What's up?"  
  
"Alya Cesare is what's up!" Marinette near about shouted. _[Fucking Fucking Fucking FUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!]_  
  
You wince at how loud her thoughts are right now.   
  
"Er, Sorry, Boldir," Marinette apologized. _[Oh god, I need to tone it down before the whole cafeteria hears me!]_  
  
"It's fine," you say. "What's going on?"  
  
Marinette explains: "Alya quit her News Host job in Paris and now she's trying to use it as an opportunity to get some kind of correspondence position here in Atlantis with some UK based News Company." _[Why the hell would she quit being a news anchor for? It was her dream job! And more than that, It kept her busy! BUSY! BUSY BUSY BUSY and AWAY from Atlantis!]_ "And more than that- She told me after emailing me on the NEW Email Address I only gave out to my parents and this girl I used to baby sit for back in Paris."  
  
"Geeze, that's insane," Chloe said. "How did she get your new email?"  
  
"Hell if I know, but she probably hacked Mannon's emails, I'll bet!" _[GOOOOD. Why can't she just leave me alone!?]_  
  
"We oughta file a restraining order," Chloe quips, "'Cannot be within one Galaxy of Marienette without being in violation.'"  
  
"Oh, god, that'd be perfect," Marinette laughs. "Think we can do it?"  
  
Fortunately, Marinette's anger subsides there, and you exhale in relief...  
  
And then a spotlight of Anxiety appears- entering the Cafeteria.  
  
_[OhGoshOhMakerOhManWhatDoIEvenSayToThem??]_ Artoria Gray's thoughts are a whirlwind contained within that spotlight, and she looks... very nervous. Very anxious. Afraid. Scared. _[Why Did it have to be my Parents AND Great Grandparents arriving on the SAME DAY!?]_ Gray's thoughts practically shout with a cry of frustrated, confused, and overall anxious anticipation as she steps into line to order her lunch.  
  
You sense a thread of emotion fly to Gray from elsewhere in Atlantis- the mental equivalent of a direct message- you can't read its contents, but Gray visibly stops to take a moment to take a deep breath, and exhale.  
  
Good, one of her teammates have got her covered there. Maybe you can let them deal with this and--  
  
A phone dings, your only warning before- _ **[OH MY FUCKING GOD!!!]**_ Marinette's thoughts shout out before she harshly whispers- "Alya!"  
  
You massage at your forehead. Good grief, This is going to be a long day.

* * *

Your name is Janet Fraiser, and you sit at a table in a coffee shop, waiting for your MYSTERIOUS RELATIVE to make contact.  
  
There's a ding at the shop's door, and in walks a woman who... who reminds you of Jake Harley in his elder years before he died and was cloned into a teenaged body again. Physically of an age that seems in the range of 50s to 70s, with a gleam to her eyes that seems far too ancient and movements to her limbs were far too young.  
  
And that's before you take in the fact her eyes are an all too familiar shade of green, and her hair is an all too heart wrenching shade of orange.  
  
She looks around the Coffee shop, and then her eyes lock on you. A mix of emotions runs across her face, and then she makes her way over to you.  
  
"Hello, Janet," she begins. "My name is Janet."  
  
For a moment you stare at each other- silently...   
  
And Then, you both start to laugh. It takes you both a solid thirty seconds or so to calm down.  
  
"And how long were you holding that one in, Cassie?" You ask as she takes the seat across from you.  
  
"Since 1962," she answered.   
  
You can't help but wince. You knew it was coming, but, damn. Hearing it is...  
  
"You know," you begin, "when we figured out that it was you and Cameron who were in the past, and that it was you who'd helped with everything with Roxy's family... we looked it up."  
  
"I remember," she sighs. "And I remember finding her death certificate. Mine, really. I should have passed. Mordred and Cam... Well. I never thought I'd out live them. But my aging being what it is now..."  
  
"How exactly did you pull that one off?" You ask.   
  
"Well, the answer to that is simple..." Quietly, her eyes pulse with a soft flash of light, and you can only blink in response. "I haven't been alone since 1929."  
  
"How...?" you ask. "There's so much we don't know about what happened- and I never- none of us thought that you'd- Of course it makes sense that you'd have to fake your own death to hide the slowed aging."  
  
Cassandra-Janet Freeman- chuckles- and there's a subtle change to her voice that's not the usual Goa'uld flare- but it's damn familiar. "Oh, Doctor Fraiser, that is a question, isn't it?" The one speaking now then says, "The real irony is, I cheated death twice over, it seems, by hitching a ride with Cassandra."  
  
The cadence to her speaking, the slow shift in body language and posture, and the look she gives you is... it's too familiar.  
  
"I suppose I should introduce myself with the name we're currently using as our alias," she extends her hand. "It's Redheart. Kathrine Redheart."  
  
You shake her hand, as dawning realization forms inside your head. "Ka'turnal." Nirrti. "You're alive."  
  
"In a manner of speaking," she nods. "It is a long and complicated story, but to summarize how we got here... My last host threw herself at Cassandra, saving her life at the expense of her own, and the near sacrifice of my own. I told Cassandra to run. She wouldn't let me die there. Offered herself to me in that moment."   
  
Holy shit. "Talk about history repeating itself," you say, stunned.  
  
"Indeed," There's a shift in posture, back to Cassandra. "And it's a damned good thing I did take her when I did. Mordred took a staff blast to the leg as we went through the Gate. Without Ka'turnal's medical knowledge, amputating would have been a hell of a lot riskier than it was."  
  
"That's..." you swallow.  
  
"It's a lot to take in, I know," she nods. "We... we have a lot to talk about."  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: JULY 24TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 02/03/0007.**  
  
The Apollo suddenly dropped out of Hyperspace early- far, far far too early for this route.  
  
"What's going on?" Colonel Ellis asks.   
  
"Uhh.... That's a easy enough," Lieutenant Miyu Shinohara replies before reading from her console: "The Hyperdrive is not reading the space ahead of us as legitimate space-time for whatever reason, and is refusing to engage through it."  
  
Colonel Ellis stared out into space for a moment, he couldn't see anything wrong, but... he knew how looks could be deceiving.  
  
"Take us around the anomaly at sublight, scan the outer edges of this space time rift as we do so," he ordered. "I want to know exactly what we're dealing with here."

* * *

  
  
Casual travel to Atlantis consisted of a few different permissions depending on who you were connected to and why you were visiting.  
  
Civilians normally had to file out a ton of paperwork to get cleared to go through the Gate- mostly to deal with being taken through Stargate Command's secure interior while the initial provisional planning work was being done to begin the process of setting up a secondary Stargate Site somewhere else on Earth. Even when THAT ambitious project was done, it was expected that Atlantis would still require about ten times the paperwork required to get a passport that would clear someone to go somewhere in Milky Way, and about only six times the paperwork to visit a planet in the Alternia Galaxy.  
  
Most casual civilians would never clear the background checks unless they had a reason to be going that wasn't just of a touristy nature.   
  
Relatives of, and Members of Stargate Command usually got overlooked on most business and work related visits; and personal time for visiting friends who worked there generally just needed a a few okays from certain people once and again every few months. Usually, one of those people had to be the person who was to be visited.   
  
But as it so happened, Alya Cesare's last work visit to Atlantis had left her name on an approved visitors list, and that name had not yet been withdrawn from the security clearances.  
  
And thus, without much fanfare, Alya found her next trip to Atlantis expedited without hassle. It helped that she was bundled into a group of other people who had family to visit on Atlantis, she supposed, and that she'd been visibly... not as excited or energetic as she was last time she visited the City.  
  
After a brief layover in Midway for medical quarantine's sake, the whole group- no larger than six people- made their way through the Gate and emerged into Atlantis' Gate Room. One more than had been present in the SGC Gate Room when they left. An Alternian had joined them in Midway on their way to Atlantis.  
  
Argo Lalonde once again greeted them- pausing to give Alya a certain apprehensive look- and then directed the group to follow them to the prepared quarters.  
Alya settled down in her given room- ignoring the rest of the group- and soon made her way to Atlantis' cafeteria.  
  
Marinette stood behind the counter, working away as per usual, same as she had been the last time.  
  
Alya steeled herself, and made her way into line, and when Marinette gave her a calculating look, Alya said, "Can we talk when you're off work? I'll be in my room when I'm done eating until then."  
  
Marinette considered it, glanced at an Alternian- Name tag reading Boldir Lamati- who nodded, and Marinette agreed. "Fine. But no more funny business, alright?"  
  
"No funny business, I promise!" That done, Alya placed her order, got her food, and went to eat.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Excuse me, I'm looking for Lloyd Armadn?" an unfamiliar voice asks from across the Cafeteria- making your ears twitch upon picking up the name.  
  
You are Akita Red, and you say, "Lloyd? I think your friend is here."  
  
"Great," Lloyd sighs. "Alright, guys. Keep it cool, alright?"  
  
You and your teammates nod- only you are the only one with a serious expression on their face. Maka and Soul just crack wide grins.  
  
The "We make no promises!" grins. Oh, dear.  
  
Lloyd stands up to draw attention, and you gaze over your shoulder in time to see a tall, Alternian woman with rather... ornamental horns atop her head start to make her way over. For a moment you almost mistook them as ceremonial antlers atop an old Samurai Helmet.   
  
"Hello, Lloyd," the woman smiles after approaching your table. Her tone of voice is almost... motherly? Hrm, weird. You'd gotten the impression Alternians didn't keep their parental ties until this generation.   
  
"Hey, Pyx," he answers. "It's been a while."  
  
"Indeed it has," the woman nods. You cast a gaze over her clothing... where's her sign? You can't see any fishy fins so not a Sea Dweller, but it's... odd. There's no identifying mark. Her clothes are a strange mix of Cerulean, Rust, and White accents. But it carries with it more of that... Ornamental look.   
  
"Come here you!" And then the woman suddenly hugs Lloyd and he squeaks out as you audibly hear some bones creaking.  
  
"Pyx! Breathing! Can't breathe!" Lloyd gasps out, and the woman lets him go with a startled "Oh, right! Sorry!!"  
  
She seems genuinely apologetic. Super strength? ...Indigo perhaps? You heard it was a semi common caste trait for them to occasionally have increased strength stat.  
  
"Everyone, this is Pyxxal, My former Moirail's Matesprit," Lloyd does the introductions, and you don't miss the way the woman glances at him with a small spark of sadness in her eyes. "Pyx, this is Soul, Maka, and Akita."  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," 'Pyxxal' says, giving a short bow towards you.  
  
"Likewise," you return the short bow as best as you can while seated.  
  
"Sup!" Soul greets with a sharp toothed grin.  
  
"Yo!" Maka gives a brief wave.  
  
Pyxxal eyes Soul for a moment- "Do I know you from somewhere?"  
  
"I used to be sorta kinda famous back on Alternia," Soul waves it off. "But those days of beating balls with table sticks are way behind me now. Now the only balls I'm beating with sticks with are training staves in the gym."  
  
Lloyd facepalms at the implied innuendo, and mumbles, "Soul, come on! I thought you'd said you'd be on your best behavior!"   
  
You send him a sympathetic smile.   
  
"Lloyd, c'mon," Maka interjects. "We all know this IS Soul's best behavior and we should be proud he's holding back that much."  
  
"Hey, it was either that, or I go full ego mode for ten minutes and none of us want that!" Soul offered with a lazy shrug.  
  
Much to everyone's surprise, however, Pyxxal laughs. "Yes, I think I remember you now. 'Soul' Ehvans, number 42 on the DWMA Team?"  
  
"Yeah, close enough," Soul waves it off. "You're not here to fangirl over me, now, are you? Pull up a seat! Let's talk."  
  
"We bet you've got all kinds of embarrassing stories!" Maka leans into the table, grinning widely.   
  
"Makaaaa... Not you too!" Lloyd hangs his head in dismay.  
  
You get the feeling this is going to be a long weekend.

* * *

**> AKITA: 1st: Be the Gray Fox, 2nd: Steal Lloyd away!**  
  
Okay, first of all, Akita's transformation is into a WOLF not a Fox, and her primary fur color is white and not gray.   
  
Second of all, did you think we'd suddenly jump to Tamriel as a setting all of a sudden? Come on. Everybody knows its the GREY Fox and that the Grey Fox is impossible to be because nobody can get inside the Grey Fox's head while they're the Grey Fox because the Grey Fox is totally unknowable!  
  
And Third of all... because I know what a Homestuckian Meme Attempt at a Scene Change looks like... You cannot be Artoria Gray because she is too currently paralyzed by anxiety to jump into the perspective of, so instead we will jump into the perspective of someone close to her instead.  
  
Who will it be? Hmm...   
  


* * *

  
  
You are now LORD WAVER EL MELLOI THE SECOND...  
  
"Is my uniform alright? What about a dress? Should I wear a dress? Would I be over dressed? Under dressed? Aaaaahhh!!! I just don't know!! I should stick to the uniform!"  
  
...And your assistant is fretting over family matters as she gazes at her own reflection in your office mirror.  
  
"But- what if they don't get along? Oh- Maker- I don't think I could handle them not getting along!!"  
  
You sigh, and... "Gray." ...you try to interject for the tenth time the last half hour.   
  
Thankfully, this time, she actually stops and turns away from the mirror to face you. "...Yes, Sir?"  
  
"Everything will be fine," you tell her. "We've known that once the point of time breaking off came around, we'd have to deal with this eventually. That everyone involved with ending that dreary alternate future has started having dreams of it just makes it more important to have these kinds of conversations early. Alternate Timeline deviations or not, they are all still your family. They will get along fine."  
  
And you have it on good authority from those on Midway that Gray's Parents and those who in another time would be her great grandparents already get along fine.  
  
You've told her this, too, but her anxiety over the whole situation keeps making her forget.  
  
You stand from your desk, and move over to comfort her. Placing your hands on Gray's shoulders, you tell her once again. "Don't forget to breathe, Gray."  
  
She closes her eyes and nods- then starts the breathing exercises. In four, hold seven, exhale eight.  
  
"Remember, we've done everything that needed to be done at this point," you say. "The loop may have been messier than we expected, but it still went off just fine without and perceivable damage to our timeline. Things are as they should be. It is done."  
  
"I know," Grey shudders, and then leans forwards- resting her forehead against your chest. "But... it's hard to believe that when I keep having nightmares about that last mission."  
  
Sending Yeesha back in time to complete a loop. Nearly being blown up by orbital weapons fire.  
  
"Some days I'm fine with it. I know its a dream," she continues, quietly. "Just a nightmare twisted wrong. Then others it's..."  
  
You feel her right arm trembling beneath your left hand, and you glance down to see her hand clenched into a fist- visibly vibrating.  
  
"I can still feel the heat against my skin, and it burns," she whispers.  
  
You sigh, and wish that your assistant's wings didn't make giving her a comforting hug a thousand times more complicated than it should have been.  
  
You settle for moving your right hand off of her right shoulder and place it on top of her head and giving her a comforting stroke or two.  
  
"It's going to be alright," you tell her. "They're just dreams of old, forgotten memories. A year's worth of memories dumped within the time span of several days, sure. But... They'll pass in time."  
  
She hums a nod of agreement.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Excuse me, Assistant Lalonde?"  
  
You are Argo Lalonde, and you look up from your work to see Lieutenant Amelia Banks standing at the door to the director's office.  
  
"Yes, Lieutenant Banks?" You ask.  
  
"We just received word from the Apollo that they've encountered a strange section of Subspace their Hyperdrive refuses to travel through, so thier arrival will be delayed by a few days as they navigate and examine the anomaly," Banks replies.  
  
"Thanks for the heads up," you nod. "I'll make sure to pass it along."  
  
And with that, the woman nods, and leaves, heading back to the Control Room.  
  
You go about filing the email notifications to the relevant people, and are in the process of hitting send when Richard Woolsey enters from the other entrance, sighing tiredly.  
  
He sits down at the desk without saying a word, removes his glasses, and covers his eyes with the palms of his hands.  
  
You don't say a word, but fire off the emails you need to send out. Once that's done, you look to the man and ask, "Sir?"  
  
"Yes?" he asks in turn.  
  
"Word from the Apollo is they encountered a section of space-time their hyperdrives refuse to pass through and are detouring around. They'll be delayed for a few days," you tell him.  
  
"Okay," he answers in turn. "That's good. Ugh." he slumps forwards, resting his head in his arms on his desk. "Why did nobody tell me a permanent Atlantis posting would involve so much walking and so many Stairs?"  
  
"Because Weir, Mikari, and Jolinar all left me to do most of the usual desk based busy work?" you offer. "That leaves almost everything else administrative to be the stuff that needs to be done face to face, and thus... well. Lots of walking!"  
  
Woolsey sighs, sits upright in his chair, replaces his glasses, and opens his laptop. "Yes, right. Well. Maybe we could trade places for a while while I rest my feet a bit?"  
  
_"Mmmmaaybe,"_ you muse. "But I think the IOA'd take offense at you swapping roles with the Assistant and then try to replace ME with someone else who you'd then have to work under and do things like fetching coffee from the cafeteria, delivering personal letters and _aaaaall_ the stair climbing that I'd have to do, too."  
  
Woolsey got a horrified look on his face, and quickly says, "Okay, good point. Yes, let's NOT do that, shall we?"  
  
"Yes, let's not," You chuckle, and get back to your work.  
  
Honestly, some days it feels like you're the real backbone of Atlantis's day to day operations.   
  
But like HELL you're going to take on the title and all the implied replace-ability there in!!

* * *

Your name is John Sheppard, and you pause at the door to your own apartment- Lizzy clinging to your back like a baby koala- as you hear Jade's singing floating through the door, even with as quiet as it sounds like she's trying to be, it's still clear as day to you, being able to feel her voice in the breeze itself.  
  
"A love that believed in infinity and the far side of the sky/ were shown to me by the freedom of our imaginations./ 'Finity' mercilessly recorded the passage of time/ leading to a choice that puts our future at stake, Hacking to the Gate..."  
  
Ah. That song again. You wonder what brought it on to have her singing it?  
  
You use the breeze to mute the sound of you opening the door and quietly enter the room. You find Jade sitting on a chair, peering into the crib that was Lizzy's not a few years back, quietly singing to Casey in the crib.  
  
"I mustn't pretend that I never made a promise/ to all my friends back in the day./ So now I'll try to deceive time itself with the gadgets on hand./ And while I'll observe alone in solitude, I'll never doubt myself."  
  
You can't help but smile as the door quietly glides shut behind you. Lizzy shifts on your back, trying to get a better view.   
  
"That's why I want to cross world lines with every passing second/ to keep on protecting your smiles," Jade sings, finishing the song, "And once again, into a time loop containing no sadness/ A swallowed Solitary Observer."  
  
She looked up, still smiling, and gave you and Lizzy a wink and a finger raised to her mouth, all 'Sssh! The baby's sleeping' style.  
  
You quietly made your way over, Breeze muting your sounds, and you joined her in looking down into the crib.  
  
A tiny little baby, with skin only a fraction of a shade lighter than Jade's own, and hair as dark as and already was promising to be as unruly as could only happen when your hair and Jades gets combined. Though her eyes were closed, you know just how bright and vibrant and green they are, matching Jade's own eyes.  
  
...And just like Jade and Daniel before her- Janet had confirmed little CASEY SHA'RE JACKSON had inherited the family bad eyesight. It sure seemed like there was nothing in their family genetics that would allow anyone to escape bad eyesight from birth. It was just one of those things, you guess.  
  
Still, it looks like she has your nose, at any rate.  
  
"She finally asleep again?" you ask, quietly.  
  
"Mmh," Jade nods. "Nightmare must've spooked her real bad last night. That song was the only thing that soothed her back to sleep."  
  
"Well, hopefully it won't come back again," you say.  
  
"I'll fight it with sheep!" Lizzy chimed in, and while you're not quite sure she gets exactly the topic you're talking about in a one for one understanding sense...   
  
Well. She's got the right attitude, at least.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are once again AKITA and you're getting serious second hand embarrassment here. Poor Lloyd. Pyxxal had been very... secretive and not very forthcoming about incidents from most of Lloyd's past, it seemed, but the few things Soul and Maka had managed to wring out of her were enough to make Lloyd excuse himself to the restroom before too long.  
  
You made a similar excuse about half a minute later, and half went after him, and half actually had to go.  
  
Naturally, Lloyd hadn't gone to the restroom, but sneaked away to a small balcony near the cafeteria.   
  
"You doing alright?" You asked.   
  
"Yeah, just..." he nodded, and sighed. "Wishing this was over with already."  
  
"Is it the stories? Because I can ask Soul and Maka to stop digging for details," you offer.   
  
"No, it's not that, just- remembering too much of the old days," Lloyd shakes his head. "And kinda worrying that she's going to ask me when I'm coming back 'home.'"  
  
You hear the sarcasm coating that last word, and you scoff. "Well, if she does, I don't think Maka will let her get away with it. Or Soul, for that matter."  
  
Your teammates have grown fond of your friend, you've come to realize. Much as you've grown fond of them, lately.   
  
"And if you need me to scare her off with my shape shifting magic, just say the word," you offer as well.  
  
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Lloyd smiles. "Now, I think I probably actually should head to the restroom while I have the chance away."  
  
"Oh, same, definitely," you agree, and make your way to the women's restroom.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Man, Gray's just all sorts of bundled anxiety today, isn't she?" Rhubee asks, lying on her back atop your bed and tossing a balled up towel into the air- catching it again moments later.  
  
Your name is Kohiru Karren, and hum in agreement as you work on some PAPERWORK at your desk. It's all you can do to help soothe that feeling of a pair of tension-ed, anxious springs in the back of your mind- representing Gray and Ruby. "Yeah. But then again, so's Ruby."  
  
You've all been sharing nightmares since time seemed to hiccup- your memories of another timeline bleeding over at night, and giving you far too much to work with to extrapolate a doomed world, and last night, your dream was of Gray's perspective of nearly being burned to death by Hatak cannon fire.  
  
...Not a fun dream by any stretch of the imagination, really.   
  
This psychic link thing has been growing stronger since the four of you had your apparently alternate selves surviving in a doomed timeline for a year condensed down into who knows how many nights of nightmares and dreams.  
  
Ruby decided to take the day off and confined herself to her room to try and relax. Rhubee is here with you, and you're both trying to remain as stable as you can for the other two.  
  
This whole mental link thing is just... So Weird.  
  
If you focus enough, you can just sort of see what's going on with Gray right now. She's talking with her parents, right now, and in the other room, Lord El Melloi is talking with Cameron Mitchel and Mordred Pendragon.  
  
_[I can't help but think this would've been easier if none of us remembered,]_ Gray thought towards you as soon as she picked up your passive observation.  
  
_[Yeah, but I get the feeling you'd have tried to ignore all of this anyways even if we didn't remember the other timeline,]_ you tell her.   
  
_[Nnngh. You're right! Damn it...]_  
  
_[You gotta deal with this whole time travel thing better than ignoring it, Gray,]_ you send her some comforting thoughts. _[Just... remember we're here to help if you need it, alright?]_  
  
_[...Thanks. I'll keep that in mind.]_

* * *

You are once again Akita, and you nearly jump out of your shoes when you exit the rest room because Pyxxal is standing there, facing the door, as you open it.  
  
"Hello, I'd like to talk in private for a moment," She declares- her tone of voice is that motherly "We're going to talk whether you want to or not" tone of voice.  
  
"Can I atleast exit the restroom first?" you ask.  
  
"Of course," she steps aside. "Let's walk and talk, if you don't mind."  
  
You very much do, really, but she's not going to give you much ground to work with.  
  
She's unzipped the outer layer of what you now guess is a jacket that she had on over the shirt she has on display now, because you can see the INDIGO SIGN across the black T-shirt underneath. It looks like a little house on a hill.   
  
It takes you a moment to review your mental index of Alternian Blood Caste Signs, and come up with SAGICER, the SIGN OF THE HOSTESS.  
Blood Aligned, you want to say? Blood sounds right.  
  
"So, I heard from Miss Albarn about how you and Lloyd met," Pyxxal begins. "Chained up and forced to escape in such a drastic situation brought up some... unpleasant memories for him, I can imagine."  
  
"Suppose so," you offer, cautiously. "He mentioned a few things."  
  
"Harumi?" Pyxxal asks.  
  
"Yeah," you nod. Geeze, where is she going with this?  
  
"Then you should know that Lloyd does not trust easily these days," Pyxxal says. "He cut us out when he came to Atlantis. Zhaane has been worried about him, as have I, and the others."  
  
Oh. Good grief. You think you know what's coming next...  
  
"That is why I have but one question for you," Pyxxal turns to face you, a narrow, speculative look to her eyes. "What are your intentions towards Lloyd?"  
  
Yeeeep. Alright, let's see where she's going with this.  
  
"...My Intentions?" You ask- fishing for information. "What do you mean, exactly?"  
  
"What Quadrant are you pursuing him in?" Pyxxal clarifies.  
  
...You can't help it.  
  
You laugh.  
  
"I don't see what is so funny," Pyxxal states with a frown.  
  
"Look, Pyxxal," you tell her. "Lloyd and I have both made it very clear to the other that neither of us are looking for Romance right now. We're just friends."  
  
"Friendship inevitably leads towards Quadrant Entanglement in my experience," Pyxxal states.  
  
"Yeah, well, sometimes a guy and a girl can hang out and be friends without being Romantic," you say. "Doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Just happened outside of your experience."  
  
"That still does not answer my question," she states again. "I need to know what your intentions towards Lloyd are and if need be, I will put a stop to them."  
  
"We're friends, and teammates, and that's it," you say. "I don't have any other answer to give."  
  
And with that, you turn, and move to head back towards the Cafeteria.  
  
"Where are you going?" She asks, shocked.  
  
"I don't got time for this nonsense," you say. "If you wanna give someone the Nth Degree about romance, go talk with Marinette, Chloe, or Shirou. I'm sure they'd give you a-"  
  
You don't get to finish that sentence. A hand falls on your shoulder, gripping tightly, near painfully- just enough to tell you that if you try moving more, she's going to probably squeeze your arm out of its socket.  
  
_**"We. Are. Not. Finished."** _Pyxxal states, sounding angry.  
  
"Oh for Cryin' out Loud," you mutter, then, a second later, you're dragged and hauled around towards a wall.   
  
"You will tell me what Quadrant you intend to settle in with Lloyd and you will tell me now!" Pyxxal demands before shoving you against the wall with a motion that has her hand leaving your shoulder.  
  
Bad move, lady.  
  
You spin out of the way before you hit the wall and draw on some of the raw Magic in the air around you- spreading your wings, and using them to gain some momentum as you leap backwards by a few yards to get some distance from this lady.  
  
**_"Get Back Here!"_** Pyxxal yells.  
  
"Like hell I am! Take my word as it is and leave it! I'm not interested in Lloyd romantically in any way shape or form! Got it?" you tell her, growling. "If it's a fight you want, then you're barkin' up the wrong tree here, lady!"  
  
Then, Pyxxal decaptchalogues a fucking grappling gun from her Sylladex. "Come back peacefully, or I will force you to-!"  
  
That's when intervention strikes in the form of a bubbly, green eyed blonde, placing a hand on Pyxxal's shoulder. Familiar facial structure-- Huh-- a relative of Gray's?   
  
"Hey, Pyx! Don't you know the rules here?" They ask, clearly spoiling for a fight. "No fighting in the hallways!"  
  
"Stay out of this, Pendragon!" Pyxxal demands, and flexes her shoulders backwards with a powerful thrust.  
  
You can feel the breeze shift suddenly down the hallways from the motion- and whoever the hell just got involved gets flung down the hallway. Your only saving grace towards staying put is your still extended wings.  
  
Holy Shit- Indigo Bloods are STRONG.  
  
Also. Pendragon. As in--?

* * *

You are now Mordred Pendragon, and you tumble to a halt on the floor as you try to figure out what the hell was that all about.  
  
You pick yourself up off the floor as you watch that Alternian chick from Midway start walking her way towards a rather annoyed looking Wolf-girl Faerie.   
  
Geeze. Indigo Bloods are Strong alright.   
  
But, you're STRONGER.  
  
You decaptchalogue Excaliber's HILT and tap its metal against the wall. The impact makes a nice, resounding, struck bell ring down the hallway.  
  
Pyxxal stops in her tracks, and turns to look at you. "What do you intend to do with a sword that has no blade?"  
  
"I dunno," you ask. "What're you intending to do with a Grappling Gun?"  
  
"This is not your business, Pendragon," Pyxxal says. "This is between me and Akita Red."  
  
"Oh, no, please, don't stop on my account," the Fae girl- Akita you guess- cracks a grin as she palms a Radio into hand. "Interfere all you want, Mysterious Hero with a Broken Sword!"  
  
"Thanks," you grin, and aim Excaliber at Pyxxal. "So. Do you wanna back down and we can talk about this like civilized people, or should we take this to the Gym?"  
  
"Here is perfectly fine-" Pyxxal declares- and then swaps out her grappling gun for a fucking circular, Z shaped sort of throwing blade. Moments later, a full set of Samurai Armor appears across her body.  
  
Oh What the FUCK!? You call cheats! You had to leave all your cool toys back on Earth!  
  
And then she leaps at you with a roar and Oh- FUCK!!!  
  
You dodge out of the way and see the floor crack on impact.   
  
...You get the feeling this is going to be a pretty quick fight, all things considered.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Argo Lalonde, and your radio buzzes on the security channel- _"Uhh... This is Akita of AR-9 reporting in a Brawl between an Alternian Samurai and- I think- Mordred Pendragon in the hallways outside of the Cafeteria? We're, uh... starting to draw a crowd here. Security, please?"_  
  
Oh. Damn it.  
  
You facepalm.   
  
Of COURSE that woman had a second sylladex hidden on her somewhere.  
  
"Security to the Cafeteria Hallways," you order. "Zats and Wraith Stunners only, please?"  
  
Woolsey snores from his desk.  
  
Geeze, he's tired out already, huh?  
  
Man, he's not going to last a year at this rate.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Rhubee Xaolon, and you stare at the fight going on in the hallway right now.  
  
Some Alternian chick in blue and red Samurai armor is fighting off Mordred Fucking Pendragon with an ever increasing arsenal of decaptchalogued weaponry.  
  
Mordred, to his credit, is doing a damn fine job of evading being struck and blocking everything with Excaliber's broken hilt, but still, it's-  
  
A Security Guard raises a Wraith Stunner and fires off a burst at the enraged Samurai- whose armor absorbs the blast easily, as if it weren't even there, Uh oh, you think you know that techno--  
  
Another Security Guard tries a Zat- it, too, is absorbed. In retaliation, The Samurai decaptchalogues a volley of Throwing Stars that the Security Guards have to dodge inorder to not get riddled with sharp, pointy pieces of metal.  
  
HOLY SHIT. Talk about Escalation!!!  
  
You glance around at the rest of the quickly arriving Security Detail, and realize none of them really know how to intervene with a fight like this when KULL WARRIOR ARMOR is involved.  
  
It's painted fancy, but that energy absorption is a very familiar trick.  
  
_**"OH YOU CHEATING BASTARD!"**_ Mordred yells- having noticed the same thing.  
  
Samurai X here just draws a very long, and very blood stained sword and seems prepared to cleave Mordred's head off in retaliation.  
  
TALK. ABOUT. ESCALATION!  
  
Okay, fuck it, you see Akita back there drawing a knife and getting ready to dive into battle too.  
  
_[Guys, I'm about to do something fucking stupid so please don't yell at me?]_ Is all the warning you give before decaptchaloging your BATTLE SCYTHE and using your psychic powers to rush into battle and block that very dangerous neck slash attack with your weapon.  
  
The Samurai growls- _**"STAY OUT OF THIS!"**_  
  
_**"NOT A CHANCE!"**_ You yell in turn.  
  
Akita jumps into the fray with a howl- and tries to jab her knife into the Samurai's back.  
  
Shit- why the hell is this going on today of all days?  
  


* * *

  
  
Gray's face met both of her hands, and she whined- "Rhubee! Why!?"  
  
The ongoing conversation between Gray's parents, Waver El Melloi II, and Cameron Mitchel came to a halt, and Mitchel glanced over and asked, "Let me guess. Mordred got in a brawl?"  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Maka Albarn, and you stare at the brawl going on in the hallway.  
  
Soul whistled sharply over the cheering, and rather confused crowd, that had formed on either end of the hallway to observe the ongoing fight that was doing more to damage the hallway than any of the opponents involved. "Wow, Lloyd, you never told us your friend was a Samurai. She's got some good technique there, if a bit unfocused."  
  
"Glubbing damn it..." Lloyd groans, covering his eyes with his hands. "This! This is why I left Lopan!"  
  
Akita almost gets her head taken off- but Rhubee darts in with a burst of petals and spins her out of the way- another flower planter gets shattered, dirt and poor plants hitting the floor.  
  
"Geeze! What's her problem anyways!?" Rhubee asks, even as Mordred takes stage to delay the woman for a moment.  
  
"She thought I was lying when I said I didn't have any romantic intentions towards Lloyd," Akita answered.  
  
Oh. Well. That explains a lot.  
  
"Pyxxaaaaaaaaaal!" Lloyd groans out again- sounding very, very tired of this shit.   
  
If the Samurai had any intentions of stopping in Lloyd's presence, she clearly didn't hear him, or was aware he was even here.  
  
"Hey, wait, I have an idea," Akita suddenly exclaims. "When you do your speed thing, spin like a top and hook onto her armor! On my mark!"  
  
"What? Okay! Got it!" Rhubee acknowledges, getting into position with her scythe, holding it out so that the sharp blade is pointed inwards towards herself.  
  
_"SWITCH!"_ Mordred yelps- and Akita rushes into the fray, switching in to block another weapon strike.  
  
_"XAOLON, GO!!"_ Akita yells- breaking a block and shifting her legs into wolf form slightly.  
  
_**"WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!"** _Rhubee starts to spin- and then accelerates towards the brawl with a burst of her psychic powers- hurtling forwards like a tornado of rust red rose petals.  
  
There are SPARKS where the tip of that tornado are touching the ground. Holy SHIT you want to figure out how to do that for yourself! That looks amazing!  
  
Akita kicks out and lands a blow against Pyxxal's chest- and she stumbles backwards, right as Rhubee's impromptu tornado attack smashes into her back with enough force to dislodge her helmet and send the Indigo blood hitting the far wall from the impact generated.  
  
It doesn't take long for some random Security person to Zat her in the face before she can get back up.  
  
"Hah." Mordred laughs. "Just like Vala and Jonas said. Head's always vulnerable without the helmet."  
  
That's when Gray and Cameron Mitchel come running up to survey the aftermath.  
  
"Hey guys!" Rhubee waves. "You just missed my awesome new spin technique!"  
  
Soul laughs. "I hope she teaches us how to do that."  
  
"Me too," you say in agreement.  
  
"If anyone needs me," Lloyd announces, "I'm going to my room to sleep the rest of today off like the bad nightmare it's been."

* * *

Your name is Argo Lalonde, and you massage at the bridge of your nose as you look at the annoyed Alternian woman sitting in Atlantis' holding cell. Pyxxal Borrgh, Indigo Blood, trained in the ancient Alternian Samurai Artforms.   
  
...Accessory to the death of one Harumi Sylant on LOPAN last year, after she nearly destroyed a brewery in what you're now learning was an assassination attempt on Alloyd Armadn.  
  
"So. Let me get this Straight," you start to summarize off of the events that Akita told you about leading up to todays... insanity, along with a thorough search of the guest quarters and confiscated equipment and clothing. "You came to Atlantis to try and find out if Alloyd Armadn made any friends, being his ex-moirail's matesprit, and figure out if any of them were like this 'Harumi' girl. And if they were, murder them to death with weapons you smuggled into Atlantis via a Sylladex you hid inside a hidden pocket inside your jacket. And when Akita refused to answer your questions, you turned to force. And when Mordred, and later the Security Team got involved, you escalated to Deadly Force. Am I missing anything?"  
  
"No," the woman within the cell says with a shake of her head. "You have the gist of it."  
  
"I just have to ask. Why?" You look at the woman sitting before you.  
  
"...When Lloyd left, our group needed him the most," Pyxxal states. "He was the heart that kept us together. Without him... we've splintered. Zhaane is.... he needed his Moirail the most after that point but now... I'm afraid I've lost him. Harumi... she... killing her should have ended this torment for us, but it just gave us far more grief to deal with."  
  
"And did you talk with Your Moirail?" You ask. "About any of this?"  
  
"Neeaah has her own issues to deal with regarding her Brother," Pyxxal shrugs. "I didn't think it right to burden her with this, and now I've done worse."  
  
You sigh. It's never easy. "You'll be transferred back to the Alternia Galaxy in a couple of days. After that, it'll be up to General Leijon to press charges or not."  
  
"...Why?" Pyxxal asks. "I attacked your people with intent to kill. If anything I should be culled on the spot."  
  
"Yeah, well, Akita's not pressing because Lloyd asked her not to. Mordred was just trying to stop you from doing something you'd regret, and Rhubee and the Guards were just trying to get you to stop wrecking the hallway," you say. "And my Boss? He was the one who approved you to visit among others." Not to mention he was asleep during the whole thing. "As it is, you're not a member of this Expedition, and you're not our problem if nobody is pressing charges. Hence, we're sending you back to Alternia."  
  
"Very well," She nodded in understanding, and said nothing else.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and you knock at the door to the guest room Alya is staying in.  
  
There's a moment's pause, before she opens it, and... God. Does your ex friend look tied.  
  
"Hey, Alya," You say. "I'm here like you asked."  
  
"Hey, Marinette," Alya begins. "Come on in. There's... a lot I want to talk about."  
  
"Alright," you say, and enter her room as she steps aside.  
  
"So, uh... Publicly, you know I quit my job back in Paris," she begins. "And, uh, while I've been looking into other things, the, Uh, I figure I should tel you that my attempts to get back here to Atlantis were mostly just so I could... I don't want to get posted here, actually. I just wanted to apologize."  
  
"Apologize, huh?" You ask. "For what?"  
  
"The shit show with Adrien, uh, what was it last year? Sure feels like it was a year ago, even if it wasn't," Alya offers. "That, uh. Wasn't his finest moment. Or mine, really." She sighs. "I didn't... entirely quit my job. I got fired, basically."

"You got fired?" You stare at her for a moment. "Seriously?"  
  
"I was vouching for Adrien," Alya answers. "And I... I ignored a lot of complaints about him. I was already going to be on suspension for all of that. Depending on how things went here, I might've gotten through unscathed. But... Adrien fucked it up and I let him make an ass of himself in front of the Documentary cameras and... Yeah. I'm pretty sure they were going to fire me for that alone, and then that shit show about the IOA rep's husband murdering people because of MY REPORT? I..." She shakes her head. "I got offered to resign and quit, or be fired. I chose to quit."  
  
That's... that's a lot to take in.  
  
"They asked you to quit after a murder you had no way was going to happen???" You ask, astonished.  
  
"Two bad publicity moments after another, it reflected bad on the studio, especially since it all tied back to Atlantis, too," Alya sighed. "I think the studio was under pressure from the President to fire me before I caused another intergalactic incident regarding Atlantis."  
  
She chuckles, dryly, and you don't quite get the humor.   
  
"And yet," she concludes, "Here I am, just present IN the City and a fucking fight breaks out in the hallways. I'm like, a bad luck magnet or something."  
  
You sigh. "No, that's just how things here in Atlantis tend to go, Alya. Some days are just..." you mime an explosion.  
  
"How do you even stand it here?" Alya asked. "Just... two visits and one double homicide, and I'm... I'm ready to go curl up in my bed and never go outside again."  
  
"I've got friends who are willing to look out for me and listen to me when I say what I'm feeling and don't just... ignore it, you know?" You offer, and wince as you realize the not so subtle dig you sent her way.  
  
"Yeah, that's... that's fair enough," Alya sighed. "So I guess that's full circle." She looks you in the eyes. "Marinette, I'm sorry I was a shitty friend and hounded you like that. I'm sorry I didn't listen, and I'm sorry I put you on the spot and... And I'm sorry I keep forcing myself into your life when you clearly don't need me in it anymore. I guess I.... I was just trying to get back some of what we had back in school? You know? Some... sense of normalcy. To go back to the days before Aliens, and Time Travel, and Parallel Dimensions, and Quantum Space Fuckery, and- Oh. God. Hallway Brawls."  
  
"No, I think Hallway Brawls were pretty common even back in school," you say. "Remember Alix and Kim and all their stupid dares?"  
  
Alya blinks, and winces. "Yeah. I remember. Damn, how'd I block that out for so long?" She shakes her head. "Okay, yeah, just... cut that last part about Hallway Brawls, that's actually pretty normal, all things considered."  
  
"Consider it cut out," you say.   
  
You both sit for a moment, and Alya sighs. "I'm not even going to ask for your forgiveness. I don't think I deserve it at this point, let alone could accept it even if you gave it."  
  
"I'll be honest, Alya," you say. "You could've done a lot worse by me than you did. Atleast, even with Adrien, misguided as you were, you still wanted what you thought was best for me. Your heart was in the right place even if your mind wasn't, um..." How to put it politely?  
  
"Malfunctioning on such a horrendous comprehension level it's a miracle I ever became a reporter in the first place?" Alya offered, and you wince at such a harsh statement.  
  
"I was going to say 'firing on all cylinders,' actually," you offer in turn.   
  
Alya laughs- a somewhat bitter, but mostly actually finding it funny kind of laugh. "Okay, I'll take that."  
  
All things considered. You're probably not going to forgive her any time soon, but atleast the air's been cleared between you two.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Sooo...." Your name is Cameron Mitchel, and you, Mordred, and your, uh... Well she's not an ALTERNATE Timeline Great Granddaughter considering she's from your time line to begin with. But She IS the great granddaughter of alternate timeline versions of you and Mordred so...   
  
...  
  
.....

.......  
  
"Who here hates time travel?" You offer.  
  
"Me!" Artoria Gray raises her right hand into the air.  
  
"It's pretty annoying, all things considered," Mordred nods.  
  
The three of you stand on a balcony, over looking the ocean and the reflection it has of two visible moons from above in the sky. It's a striking image that perfectly envokes the situation.  
  
Two moons, reflected by a boundary of shimmering potential.  
  
Two timelines, a reflection of what is and what was.   
  
Two potentials, but a single reality.  
  
"The nightmares are the worst part," Gray says.   
  
"Tell me about it," Mordred agreed. "I've had some dreams every now and then, since I went into the Unending. Other mes. Other timelines... Ever since the split happened... I've started having dreams of that other timeline." He glances over at Gray. "Little things, here and there, but.... I think I remember you and your team helping us out of a jam."  
  
Gray nodded. "We delayed two Goa'uld who were after you," she explained.  
  
"I think I had a dream about that too, the other night," you say. "I thought it was just... crazy, though. Did you girls use the theme to The Good The Bad and The Ugly, or was I imagining it?"  
  
"Oh, we definitely used that theme, alright," Gray nodded. "It was Ruby's idea. I think." She frowns. "The large details are there, but the small ones are... Just so much harder to pin down."  
  
"Well," you say. "Given enough time, I think we can all put it together pretty well."  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Keiko Ayano, and you sigh in relief as your team steps through the Stargate back into Atlantis's Gate Room, dripping wet and covered in an unknowable, pink hued, sort of vaguely slimy substance.  
  
"Welcome baaa--" Argo trails off from greeting you from having stopped midway down the stairs from the control room. "What the Fuck happened and should we blacklist P2R-K3Y?"  
  
"You don't want to know," you say, sighing in defeat.  
  
"And That'd be a yep on the blacklist," Mallek says, grabbing a handful of slime from his hair and tossing it to the floor before it got into his eyes.   
  
"Can someone get us some large wash tubs?" Tyzias asks. "And also, like, a couple gallons of soap and water and some privacy curtains? I don't want to track this shit through the city."  
  
"With haste on both of those requests," Daraya says, removing her goggles so more of the unfortunate substance can pour forth out onto the growing puddle on the floor gathering between your feet. "Please."  
  
"...I think I can arrange that," Argo nods, and quickly retreats up the stairs.  
  
"Some days," you lament. "Some days just are total shit shows."  
  
"Atleast we're not covered in _*actual*_ shit," Mallek says.  
  
"I wouldn't say what we _**ARE**_ covered in is any better," Daraya comments.  
  
"That said," Tyzias says, "I think we can safely say the Ancients are confirmed to have shitty taste in genetic experimentation."  
  
"Is that really breaking news?" Mallek asks. "Like. To anyone?"  
  
"Nope," you and Daraya agree, in echo of each other. Mallek only differs with a "Not at all."

"Glubbing hell," Tyzias lamented. "I am so tired of this exploring shit, some days."

"Yep," Daraya and Mallek agree, in echo of each other. You only differ with a "Same."  
  
All in all, just another day in the Pegasus Galaxy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'll admit I was just flexing a little with doing a musical recap AND THEN immediately open with the Ninjago Overture flying over the City like that. 
> 
> New season, new OPening credits. Season 5 of Atlantis added Keller and Woolsey properly to the cast. I shudder to think about how crowded the actual opening would be in *this* version of Atlantis. >_>;
> 
> \---
> 
> New Additions to the Family Tree: Torren Emmagan, son of Teyla and Kannan. Casey Sha're Jackson, daughter of Jade Jackson and John Sheppard.
> 
> \---
> 
> Because of episode shuffle shenaniganry, I pulled an opening scene from The Seed into this episode. Woolsey is adjusting, slowly but surely. 
> 
> \---
> 
> Oh, hey, it's a wild Lorne! He's been promoted to new head of security, the position Bates had once upon a time, full time now. His team's disbanded what with half of it dying to a collapsing building. 
> 
> \---
> 
> Janet and Old!Cassie/Ka'turnal talk! Man, that's a lot of heavy conversations that's just rehashing the movie, for the most part. And I'd rather not touch more on their lives after that more than I already have because this stuff is confusing enough as it is >_>;;;
> 
> \---
> 
> Pyxxal. Hoo.
> 
> Man. That whole fight escalated Quickly, didn't it? It's like that time we looked away from a dream bubble for all of a metaphorical minute and it escalated into a freeforall brawl back in canon homestuck. XD
> 
> The Alternian version of the Ninjago Crew's kinda... fallen apart without their Lloyd around to be the leader of the team. You can kinda take a few guesses why Pyxxal'd come and try and bring him back if need be. As we've seen many a time, however, it doesn't always work out in the way people expect it to.
> 
> But in all seriousness, that scene escalated right the FUCK out of my control within seconds of the altercation beginning. I hadn't planned for a big action scene like that but it just sparked into ignition out of nowhere. 0_0; 
> 
> Speaking of sparks, Rhubee performs an act of Spinjitsu! ...Rhubee, c'mon, girl, that's not even your show you're borrowing that technique from there. Atleast be narratively consistent please?? 
> 
> \---
> 
> Finally! Mordred and Mitchel talk to Gray! The beginning of resolution! Yeah, we don't get to see much of it because of that brawl that just came out of friggin nowhere.
> 
> Similarly, Alya starts to mend a broken bridge with Marinette. We'll see where they go from here, perhaps, someday. Admittedly, poor Alya got used twice for shitty things to happen and I felt bad about that because neither thing was really her fault. Not entirely. Maybe 10% her fault each time? 
> 
> \---
> 
> I'm not touching on the topic of the Pink Slime. Draw your own conclusions on that if you want. 
> 
> \---
> 
> Next chapter: MINISODE: Catching up with Claire, 1.


	3. MINISODE: Catching up with Claire, 1.

**EARTH DATE: JULY 27TH, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 02/06/0007.**  
  
You are now Joey Claire, and you and your Matesprit, Mierfa Durgas, lay in bed together, relishing in the early morning sun gleaming through the window and warming the room.  
  
Mierfa nuzzles her nose up against your neck, and you can't help but giggle.  
  
The morning is young, and you're content with everything just existing as it is.  
  
About an hour and a half later, you've both gotten up and reasonably dressed for breakfast.  
  
"So, any plans for the day?" you ask.  
  
"Mmh, not really, just helping Wanshi down at the caverns," Mierfa answers.  
  
As per usual, you note with a nod.  
  
"What about you?" She asks.  
  
"Well, I've got a jam session with Xefros scheduled for later this afternoon, we're working on a new song," you explain. "Other than that, nothing much."  
  
"New song! Neat!" Mierfa smiled. "Can't wait to hear it!"  
  
"Me too," you laugh.   
  
And then the phone rings, and you answer it, and Okurii is passing along a message that Jude and Cassie will be coming to visit later today.  
  
"Change of plans," you tell Mierfa after the call ends. "Looks like my Brother's coming to visit."  
  
"That sounds like Fun," Mierfa smirks. "Hopefully it's just a social visit, though."  
  
"Yeah," you agree. "Hopefully... hopefully it'll just be a social visit."  
  


* * *

  
  
_It Wasn't Just a Social Visit._  
  
Jude had a heavy story to tell and so you and he went outside to the yard while Cassie stayed inside with the kids.  
  
About an hour after Jude started telling his story, he finally got to the end where the Alternate Cassie told Janet Fraiser the big reveal-  
  
"Wait, wait, wait," you hold up your hand- needing time to process. "Alt Timeline Cassie is Nirrti!?"  
  
"Yeah," Jude nods. "And it's a doozy of a story they had to tell."  
  
"Yeah, I got that part when you started talking about Ba'al erasing History," you say, massaging at the bridge of your nose.  
  
Fucking hell, talk about an existential crisis.  
  
You distract your mind for a moment by glimpsing into the living room with your guardian Arai Beetle to watch Cassie keep Penny and Toko entertained.  
  
Your little girl is walking on two legs now, and you still can't get over it.  
  
And to think she and Penny almost didn't exist because you and Jude almost DIDN'T EXIST is...  
  
You center yourself, and start pacing around the yard.  
  
Time Travel. Of course it would be time travel and all that shit... but what's worse is...  
  
"Okay, so," you stop your pacing, and look to your brother. "Do you still have the Remote Dialer Device?"  
  
"Of course I do," Jude nods. He decaptchalogues the item, and you suck in a sharp breath upon seeing That Device again.  
  
"Good. Keep it with you," you tell him as he recaptchalogues it,   
  
"...Did we use it in Giza?" Jude asks- then- "Wait, no, don't tell me that. I'll figure it out if I have to."  
  
"All I'll say is that you showed it to me," you say. "And yeah, that's it, alright."  
  
"Figures that it'd be that simple of a time loop at minimum," Jude says, shaking his head. "Even if it wasn't used here for what it was meant to be used for, it still gets used in some time loop."  
  
"It's gotta be one of those temporal fixed point items or something," you say, shaking your head as well.   
  
This whole thing is...  
  
"Is it weird that I find it a weird that Pa hooked up with someone else in that timeline and didn't have us?" Jude asks pretty much out of nowhere.   
  
You can't help but laugh. "Jude, given all the time travel involved that wound up with your wife also being the matriarch of the Lalonde family in its own, weird, round about way? The fact that Mitchel and Mordred adopted a kid who could be considered to be our-" you pause to do the genetic math. Ba'al plus Artoria, equals a kid, who had the adopted kid with a guy who was... grandson? Grandson sounds about right and is as far as you're willing to stretch it. Grandson of your PA and CATHRINE LANGFORD, so... One, two... "Great Niece, who wound up having a kid who had a kid who helped you BUILD that time macguffin in the first place is-"  
  
Wait.  
  
Oh. Good grief.  
  
That girl, Artoria Gray, is technically your great *great* grand niece.   
  
You and Jude both place both of your hands firmly against your faces in that moment.  
  
"I really hate Time Travel," Jude laments.  
  
"I hate it too," you agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say here 'scept sorry for the later upload. had a busy day today.
> 
> Next chapter: SGA:05X02: The Seed.


	4. SGA:05X02: The Seed.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the mandatory Body Horror Episode for the season!  
> (ALSO: Happy New Year, 2020!)

_PREVIOUSLY ON STARGATE:  
_  
_  
"That's not a happy sounding 'uhoh,'" Mckay says.  
_  
_"That's because it's not," you say. "The Stargate's energy buffer is gradually building up a charge it can't get rid of because the Stargate it still active. Atleast point one percent a minute since the connection was first made." You frown. "I'll need to run some calculations, but it looks like the Iris is slowing the buildup."_  
_  
"What exactly are we dealing with here?" You ask Orlin.  
_  
_"It's a directly targeted energy weapon designed to overload a Stargate's superconductive materials over an extended period of time," Orlin answers. "Unlike the Attero Device, which caused a rapid build up of energy within the eventhorizon itself. The idea was to take the accidental power of the Attero Device and make it controlable, as a threat to be directed at Goa'uld who refused to co-operate... but for reasons Janus neglected to inform me of, the project ended up being canceled and scraped."_  
_  
\---  
_  
_"Prometheus is heading out to Pegasus today," Tegiri says. "For the moment, as it's stationed at Earth, Delta needs to remain in Earth Orbit guarding it just in case of Goa'uld or English retaliation. At least one Megazord to guard the Supergate..."_  
_  
"The Slayer should remain to guard the Supergate," Dammek suggests. "It's got the Attero Cannon, after all."_  
_  
\---_  
_  
"Miss Morgan, Thank you for consenting to an interview."_  
_  
"I feel it's time to set the record straight on certain things."_  
_  
\---  
_  
_JOEY CLAIRE speaks, "To Shadre, beheader of Apophis, and leader of the Dark Carnival. We have your fleet on the ropes. Surrender NOW or forever be turned to ashes."_  
_  
"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing," Shadre counters._  
_  
"Fine." Joey remarks. "I'm giving you one more chance to surrender. Otherwise? It's your funeral, then,"_  
_  
"You're way too fucking confident for that paltry amount of ships!" Shadre laughs. "You and WHAT ARMY are going to stop MY FORCES!?"_  
_  
The Sovereign Slayer exited Hyperspace._  
_  
"I brought a Sovereign Slayer," Joey smirks. "What cards are in your pocket?"_  
_  
\---_  
_  
"I suppose so. What can you tell us?"_  
_  
"Thousands and thousands of years ago- one of our own- Janus- designed a weapon. He called it the Attero device. It worked- it destroyed their ships anywhere in the galaxy- but at a cost. A side effect none of us saw coming."_  
_  
\---_  
_  
The Sovereign Slayer's mouth opens wide and belches out a beam of purple energy with a cry of "ZYUUUUOOOOON"! The beam strikes the open eventhorizon of the Supergate.  
_  
_The Wormhole flickers- and boy does it flicker some more- and then some Alien Ship tries to exit the eventhorizon and gets utterly DESTROYED by emerging into the concentrated stream of energy targeting the Supergate. Another ship tries to come through moments later, suffering the same fate. And then another, to the same dead end.  
_  
_As the Sovereign Slayer finishes discharging it's energy attack, no other ships attempt to come through. Not even after a minute of tense waiting when finally, the Supergate shuts down mere seconds later with a lurch that seems to have been MUCH too abrupt to have been a natural shutdown._  
_  
\---  
_  
_"It also exploded Stargates?"_  
_  
"It also exploded Stargates. We shut the project down immediately there after, and most of us committed the treasonous energy pattern to memory so as to avoid using it in other projects in the future..."_  
_  
\---  
_  
_"I keep screwing it up," Daniel says, gazing down at his feet. "I can't even find Janus' lab to make sure the Control Crystal for the Attero Device is actually destroyed."_  
_  
\---_  
_  
Your name is Karkat Vantas, and you stand on the deck of the Delta's bridge, watching as the Hyperspace window whirls on infront of you._  
_  
The Delta Megaship drops out of hyperspace in the void between galaxies._  
_  
"Slayer arriving," Stelsa reports. "Visual transmission automated."_  
_  
"On screen," you order._  
_  
...What you see is very disconcerting. A blinding white star of exotic energy that vaguely holds the shape of a Mofang cruiser._  
_  
And then the feed cuts to static as Stelsa reports:_  
_  
"Energy wave peaking!"_  
_  
"Brace for Impact!" You broadwave through the ship and to the Astro, and likely Prometheus as well._  
_  
And then you see a blinding burst of white light explode in the not too far off distance through the bridge windows- filling up the entire view of the Milky Way Galaxy, blocking it from sight._  
_  
It's one hell of an explosion..._  
_  
And then the shockwave hits._

* * *

**EARTH DATE: AUGUST 9TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 02/09/0007.**  
  
The Apollo landed on the Southern Pier of Atlantis with a little less than the usual grace that a BC-304 could manage.  
  
People actually felt the city Vibrate to a noticable, if small degree as it landed.  
  
Your name is Richard Woolsey, and you feel... well, nervous as you wait for the Colonel to make his way to you to report on the events that transpired.  
  
The Appolo had been delayed for FAR longer than the initially projected "just a few days."  
  
_**PVVVM-SHING!**_  
  
Colonel Ellis appeared in the Control Room without much fanfare, looking tired and grumpy. At his side was a tense looking Japanese-descented Lieutenant holding a moderately sized data storage device in arm.  
  
"Colonel, Welcome back to Atlantis," you greet.  
  
"Mister Woolsey," Ellis nods. "It's good to be back."  
  
"We can talk in my office," you offer.   
  
"It's appreciated," he says, then, to the technician, "Lieutenant Shinohara, ensure that scanning data makes it to Doctor Entykk and her team."  
  
"Yes, sir," the lieutenant nodded, and headed off, a grimace on her face.  
  
You and Ellis head into your office, and he grimaces as you sit down on opposite sides.  
  
"I take it your delay was more concerning than expected?" you ask.  
  
"You could say that," Ellis nods. "The first subspace rupture we encountered was massive- almost like a giant trip wire. It was vaguely cylindrical with an estimated radius of a hundred thousand kilometers, and stretched on for several hundred light years in either direction, and showed no signs of stopping."  
  
"My God, that sounds..." you wince. "Artificial."  
  
"Given the energy wave we observed when the first one pulsed off, we're pretty certain it is, but I'd rather have someone double check the data," Ellis says. "Something about this was ringing a bell, some long forgotten mission report I probably read, but I can't remember for the life of me. I'm hoping someone else will have a better memory. But if it's not something old like I think it might be..."  
  
"You suspect it may be something new," you frown. "Also. First? You said that twice."  
  
"My concern is that it's an experiment of Medea's. either to generate another rift such as the one she intended to create before, or it's meant as a weapon," Ellis says. "Because we encountered two more subspace disturbances just like that on the way back from completely different angles of attack."  
  
"...Once is concerning, twice is coincidence, but three times is enemy action," you groan. "Damn it."  
  
"Medea would have the motive for wanting to take out any of our ships in Pegasus," Ellis states his logic. "If not the Wraith, or some other new threat."  
  
"What would have happened if the Apollo had been caught inside one of these disturbances?" You ask.  
  
"We almost were, and the results weren't pretty," Ellis replies. "The last one clipped us on the rear and our hyperdrive nearly shorted out on us. If that had happened with us fully inside the disturbance... I don't think we would have been alive anymore to tell the tale."  
  
You swallow, considering the disturbing news.  
  
"This is not good," you say.

"No," Ellis agrees. "It's not."

* * *

[ **O <\--- STARGATE ATLANTS --->O** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0K2bRdtGlg)

* * *

**EARTH DATE: AUGUST 11TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 02/21/0007.**  
  
A large warehouse loomed in the middle of a quiet forest atop a very tall and steep hill, shadowed from above by the crimson light of a setting sun piercing through a purple-blue sky.   
  
Sometimes alien planets were weirdly pretty. But in this case, it lent an air of ominousness to the situation. The warehouse was covered in thick, fleshy, crimson vines, and there was no sound in this forest at all. Not a bird's chirp, or insect's buzz.  
  
Frame all of that imagery behind the windshield of a hazmat suit, and you've got the beginnings of a horror movie.  
  
Your name is JENNIFER KELLER, one of Atlantis' CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICERS, and you're huffing and puffing as you hike it up hill from the landed Jumper through the jungle towards the facility. AR-1 leads the way, also clad in Hazmat suits.  
  
"Well, if this isn't a horror flick waiting to happen, I dunno what is," Sheppard remarks, nowhere near as out of breath as you are.  
  
"Couldn't we have-" Mckay on the other hand is just a bit as winded. "Landed higher on the hill?"  
  
"And land ontop of the weird vine shit that could possibly swallow our Jumper Whole? Sure," Sheppard replies. "But then we'd have to hike down hill and even further to get back to the Gate."  
  
"Well, downhill's easier than uphill!" Mckay remarks.  
  
"He's right on that, but I'd really not have to run or walk back to the gate in full hazmat," you say.  
  
"Quit your whining. A steep incline never hurt anyone," Ronon grouches.  
  
"I am merely glad that I am allowed field missions at all now, and am grateful for the exercise," Teyla states.  
  
It doesn't take too much longer for you to finish climbing the hill and follow the path of cleared vines into the building. Vines cover every available surface, but the ones inside seem, dryer... almost as if...  
  
"The vines look dead up close," you observe. "Atleast, the ones here do. They looked fresher outside."   
  
"Which just lends to the creepiness," Mckay remarks, to which you agree.  
  
Sheppard clicks on a flashlight, highlighting a set of stairs downwards "Ehvans radio'd that his team found a lab in the basement that was the epicenter of this shit. Keep an eye on your feet and don't trip."  
  
You descend into the horror movie basement waiting to happen, and soon enter a WRAITH TECH LAB that's been mostly overgrown by the dying vines.  
  
AR-9 stands near an observation window, clad in normal exploration outfits rather than Hazmat gear. They all look freaked out of their minds.  
  
"Oh thank God," Maka Albarn exhales. "You're here."  
  
"What's the situation?" You ask.  
  
"We found the body in a room downstairs," 'Soul' Ehvans says, jabbing a thumb at the window. "Looks like whoever it was had these vines growing out of them- they're dead, though, and so's everything else that was growing from them."  
  
You peer out the window into the room below, and sure enough, at the center of all of this is a mummified looking corpse with a tight net of dead, decaying vines growing from their body.  
  
"We managed to hack into the computers, barely functioning as they were," Alloyd Armadn states. "We're pretty sure it's _Not_ one of Medea's labs. But... well. What they were researching here is just about as shady, if you ask me."  
  
"And what were they researching here?" Mckay asks.  
  
"Well, we theorized and then knew from Medea's database that Wraith Cruisers and Hiveships are grown- organic tech, after all-" Armadn says. "But... it looks like whoever was running this place was trying to super charge the process somehow."  
  
"Are you saying these vines are a nascent Wraith Hiveship?" You ask, panning your flashlight around the room.  
  
"Seeded into a person and grown from it," Akita Red remarks, grimly.   
  
"Hence, Hazmat request," Albarn concluded.  
  
"Alright, I'll run some tests and see what I can find," you say.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are now John Sheppard, and you're tense. Keller had gotten blood tests started on AR-9's members, but the portable scanners would take time to do that work, and so she decided to go into the once sealed isolation chamber and start poking around the dead body in the room that had caused all of this mess.  
  
"Is anyone else getting sweaty, or is it just me?" Mckay asks.  
  
"It's just you, and before you say anything, remember that we're in full Hazmat," you say. "Only way you're catching whatever it is is if you've got a suit rupture. Besides that, Ehvans' team has been here longer and isn't showing signs of symptoms."  
  
"Okay, but what if-" Mckay's paranoia doesn't get that far, because the radios buzz, and Keller speaks:  
  
"Guys? I think there may be a problem," she states, sounding worried.  
  
You radio back, turning to look into the isolation room. "What's the problem, Doc?"  
  
"This dead vine flesh is funky. I think its blood has been turning acidic as it decays," Keller hesitates, holding her knife over the section of removed vines, leaving an exposed chest behind. "I don't know if I should risk cutting into the body or not."  
  
You consider it. "Pull out, Doc. Risk to life isn't worth it."  
  
"Alright," Keller nods- and that's when everything goes to shit, because the chest of the corpse infront of her suddenly explodes in all directions- showering the room and everything in it with a murky green powder.  
  
"GAH!" Keller yells out- shielding herself, but too late.   
  
There's a small burst of air from multiple places on the Hazmat suit as whatever that green shit is eats through the material.  
  
"Keller!" Mckay yells out in shock.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Tyzias Entykk, and you stare at the data that the Apollo had recorded from their strange subspace encounter not too long ago.  
  
Concerning enough is ONE vaguely cylindrical expanse of subspace that the hyper drive refused to pass through before it suddenly vanished. That, more than it's sudden appearance, was the most concerning thing of all.  
  
But three? At various different angles?  
  
Well, that sure as hell looks like a reposition-able, or worse, multiple BEAM WEAPONS of some kind was fired off into space at a random direction each time- causing a subspace anomaly that the 304 class hyper drives refused to pass through- or nearly destroyed the Apollo itself with the last shot.  
  
Placing each recorded beam in a cross section of the galaxy as a whole, and extrapolating in both directions for maximum possible length.,..   
  
The beam's potential striking influence cuts in both directions like several large needles jabbed through Pegasus's Milky Way Galaxy facing arm- each one at a slight upwards angle through the center of the galaxy clear through to the other side.  
  
There are numerous planets with Stargates that fall within those lines... and at least one of them had a Stargate that's now non functional.   
  
After directing a Puddle Jumper to investigate it from the next closest functioning Stargate... it was found there was nothing but a molten crater where the Stargate and a small, recently culled by Wraith settlement should have been. There were no survivors from the explosion.  
  
"This is potentially very, very bad," you state for the record.  
  
"Tell me about it," Mallek then swears, staring at the data before you. "This looks an awful lot like the kind of damage that would happen if a Stargate exploded."  
  
"Okay, so," you massage at the bridge of your nose. "We're assuming this has to be some variation of the Attero Device. Right?"

"Obviously," Mallek agrees. "But we still haven't found Janus' lab to destroy the Control Crystal, so that leaves the original facility still intact. Maybe they revived it?"  
  
"And made it mobile? No, we know that's not it," you shake your head. "If someone found the original facility and decided to build their own control crystal, or make a beam weapon out of it, they would have had a single, solitary place to launch from," you say. "But we don't see that."  
  
"Right," Mallek nods. "The beams launch out from several different locations, and don't intersect on any one planet. Which means either multiple ships, or one moving weapon."  
  
You work your jaw. "...This is giving me a bad feeling."  
  
"Agreed," Mallek nods. "This is clearly someone trying to attack the Apollo and failing due to us having a failsafe in the programming."  
  
"So someone's using an Attero based weapon against us," you frown. "Would they even know about the Stargate destabilization and explodification effect of such technology?"  
  
"What if they don't care?" Mallek asks. "What if blowing up Stargates IS their idea, and they weren't aiming at the Apollo?"  
  
"Take out one planet, it's a fluke," you muse. "Ideal for a test run... but blow up a bunch of them at once..."  
  
"We'd notice," Mallek nods. "It's a miracle the Apollo didn't get directly hit. If they were trying to blow up Stargates... Damn."  
  
"...Yeah. A miracle," you swallow. "The original Attero Device was designed to take out Wraith Hiveships and operated on a different frequency of subspace, after all. Even the Sovereign Slayer's main cannon wouldn't cause the 304 hyper drive to catastrophically fail, because we used the Wraith Hyper drive wavelength in its firing parameters. We're lucky the first two attempts were picked up in advance by the safety sensors we designed in case someone came up with a similar device to interrupt our Hyperspace windows. If that third shot had actually hit dead on..."  
  
"Yeah," Mallek grimaces. "If it were a Wraith only targeted beam, it wouldn't have affected the Apollo. The fact that those sensors got tripped is..." he scratches behind one ear. "Shit. Do you think some Wraith got clever and tried to turn our own weapon tech against us, not knowing we already knew about how it worked?"  
  
"Maybe," you frown. "Or maybe it's not just directed at us."  
  
"What, do you think someone's trying to take out Us AND the Wraith?" Mallek asks. "Especially after everything Todd's done to whittle their numbers down with the Retro Virus?"  
  
"I'm scared that's exactly why they're firing this now," you decide, "We need to reach out to Todd and see if he's heard anything about Wraith Ships exploding in Hyperspace accidents recently."  
  


* * *

  
  
Doctor Keller stands in one isolation room on one end of the city, the four members of AR-9 stand in another on the sheer other end of the city, and elsewhere in another isolation room far away from the other two isolation rooms are the members of AR-1, looking mightily concerned.  
  
Your name is Richard Woolsey, and you watch both of these scenes on video monitors as Doctor Fraiser brings up test results on a screen.   
  
"AR-1 is clear of contamination as far as we can tell, And AR-9 is half clear, but Maka Albarn, Akita Red, and Jennifer Keller's bloodstreams are riddled with a foreign particle," she explains. "We've run tests and found matches for it in Medea's database. It's definitely a derivative of the particles used to seed Wraith Hiveships and grow them, but... it's extremely hyperactive in Jennifer's case. I'd expect her to start showing symptoms within a day- whatever those symptoms are going to even be."  
  
"Why is it more active in her than the others?" you ask. "And why are Ehvans and Armadn not infected?"  
  
"If I had to guess, the infection was passive on Albarn and Red," Doctor Fraiser supposes. "Where as with Doctor Keller, it... Was very active. We've had Boldir, and a few other Alternian Psychics listening in, and they're picking up an active mental presence in them that isn't present in the other two."  
  
"So the nascent Hiveship was still alive within the corpse somewhere and jumped bodies to the first one who got closest to it," you frown.   
  
"That's the most likely assumption," Doctor Fraiser agrees.   
  
"What are our options?" You ask.  
  
"Given a lack of infection on Ar-1, Armadn, and Ehvans, I'm inclined to release them from isolation," she answers. "Albarn and Red have already agreed to take trial cures if I come up with something- and I've got a few ideas in mind already. If it works to clear the foreign particle from them, I'll attempt to give it to Keller and see if she's cured of it... but there's the time limit to consider. We may be working against the clock, here."  
  
"If you're certain that AR-1 and Armadn and Ehvans aren't infected, and there's no risk to the rest of the City, then let them out," you decide. "But are we sure that purging this... parasite from Doctor Keller's bloodstream will kill it?"  
  
"Given Aradia Megido caught a malevolent psychic hitchhiker around last Halloween, and exorcised it before it could cause us any trouble?" Fraiser has a grim smile. "I'm fairly certain that just severing the connection between it and Keller will be enough for Megido to perform a repeat of that stunt and exorcise it."  
  
"Psychic Hitchhiker?" You ask. "I don't recall that mission report."  
  
"I think it got bundled in with any number of minor, curtailed problems that get caught before they become something major," Fraiser answers. "Such as the Forced Ascension Machine Mckay almost was zapped with."

"Ah," you nod in understanding. "Those generally never make it to the IOA's tables, and I'm beginning to think they should."  
  
"Good luck getting them to read them," Fraiser scoffs. "Prevented-before-they're-Problems never get as much attention as the Solved-last-minute-Problems."  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Rodney Mckay, and your mind is in so many places at once now it isn't even funny.  
  
Most of those stray thoughts are focused around various aspects of the KELLER SITUATION, but there's not really... much that you can do?  
  
The MEDICAL DOCTORATE STUFF isn't your area of expertise, in honesty. Thus, the other situation.  
  
The ATTERO-LIKE ATTACKS on the Apollo- those are AR-1's concerns at this moment.  
  
You're in a Jumper along with Sheppard and all of AR-2, floating above a planet with a Spacegate, facing said Spacegate, and waiting for your contact to arrive.  
  
And arrive they do- the Spacegate activates with a Kawoosh, and a lone Dart emerges through- the Gate shutting down immediately after.  
  
The radio buzzes- and Sheppard puts through the transmission- a video broadcast.  
  
**"Well,** _this is_ **quite** _the surprise,"_ Todd begins on the other end of the transmission. _"All eight of you at once? This must be quite important if you're asking me about Hyperspace accidents, alright. And it's not quite so... academic as you implied, is it?"_  
  
"No," Sheppard replies. "One of our ships was attacked with what we think was a beam form hyperspace disruption attack."  
  
_"Yes, you're aware of the Attero device and it's..._ **hilariously** _infamous problem of Exploding Stargates,"_ Todd stated- no doubt reading your minds for the information. _"...Not just that but I sense there's something more. Mckay and I must talk after we're done with this dreadful Hyperspace Conversation."_  
  
"Oh, lovely," you grimace.   
  
_"To start with,"_ Todd begins. _"Yes, my people have located the remains of a few shattered Wraith Hiveships with destruction patterns similar to what I remember from when the Attero Device was active. However, considering that the affect was precisely targeted towards those select Hiveships, I wrote off the Attero Device, because of its indiscriminate behavior. If it had been activated as it once had back during the war, I would already have been dead a dozen times over."_  
  
"But now you're rethinking it?" Tyzias asks.   
  
_"Yes... I was rethinking it enough to meet you through a Stargate, after all, rather than by hyperspace. Now you're saying that this attack was targeted against You as well?"_ Todd asks- and you know he already knows that.  
  
"Yeah," Tyzias says. "One of our ships was attacked three times. It was almost hit the last time. We knew about how the Attero Device functioned years ago, and programmed in failsafes incase we detected a similar subspace distortion actively aimed at our Hyperspace Window Frequencies."  
  
_"For the simple fact that you know the Attero Device existed and have yet to use it against us speaks volumes of your restraint,"_ Todd smirks. _"That you programmed in a countermeasure is incredible. We dabbled with such a thing, but felt no need to complete its work when the Ancients shut down their weapon of their own accord. Too many of their_ **Precious Stargates** _were destroyed by it. Too many_ **Innocent Lives** _lost."_  
  
"We figured as much," Sheppard says.   
  
_"Alas, a shame we did not finish that work, perhaps we could have figured out a means of preventing more of these targeted attacks,"_ Todd considers everything for a moment. _"Unfortunately, I have no idea who would be behind these targeted attacks. There are not many in this Galaxy who would remember the horror of the Attero Device and think to use it against not just us, but you Lanteans as well."_  
  
"We were thinking Medea might have her hands behind it," Keiko speaks up. "But we're not even sure if she's alive or not right now."  
  
_"I have not heard one way or another,"_ Todd says. _"Now, about the problem regarding your dear Doctor Keller."_  
  
"You know who was experimenting with Hiveship growth rates?" you ask.  
  
_"I..._ have my suspicions," Todd grimaces. _"As I'm sure you remember, some of my men saw the battle over the Replicator homeworld."_  
  
"Yeah," Sheppard says. "What about it?"  
  
_"...Before I was betrayed and had those ZPMs stolen, one of my men who betrayed me remarked about how..."_ Todd paused, and put on a tone of voice that sounded like he was quoting someone, **"'Gloriously Incandescent'** _your humanoid form spaceship robots were."_  
  
"Ah, hell," Daraya grouches. "Don't tell me you think-?"  
  
_"More than think, I saw in his mind and caught a glimpse of him imagining a Wraith Hiveship that could perform the same transformative feat,"_ Todd answers. _"Given that I had three ZPMs, and we only confirmed the destruction of One with the Cloning Facility... I fear that Backstabber may have absconded with one of them with intent to create his own transforming spaceship robot."_  
  
"Ah, great," Daraya sighs. "It's the Mofang all over again."  
  
"You bring a giant robot to a few space battles, of course the enemy's going to develop giant robots to counter," Mallek says with a shrug. "It's just basic law of escalation."  
  
"I just had a crazy thought," Sheppard suddenly says.  
  
"What's that?" You ask.  
  
"...We Never Did Find Out what happened to the Sovereign Slayer when it got caught up in the Zillyum Rift Explosion, did we?" Sheppard asks.  
  
...  
  
...  
  
Collectively, all of you in the jumper mutter out various expletives along the lines of "Oh Crap."  
  
**"Well Now,"** Todd chuckles. _"That's an amusing thought. You all being hunted by your own weapon!"_  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: AUGUST 12TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 02/22/0007.**  
  
Not about half an hour after Keller's hands started to slime over with some weird substance, she had grown tired, and gone to bed in the isolation chamber.  
  
Within a minute, red vines began growing everywhere at a rate that definitely seemed accelerated- because within two minutes, the whole isolation room had been grown over.  
  
About five minutes after that, internal sensors detected the vines piercing the floor and ceiling and reaching for nearby power conduits.  
  
That had been just about three hours before current- just past midnight on Earth- and you are Janet Fraiser, and you're about to give Maka Albarn a test injection that should purge the Wraith Hiveship Seed Pathogen from her bloodstream.  
  
The power to the entire city had been cut off, ZPMs pulled entirely, with only Naquadah generators powering essential systems and locations such as the infirmary.  
  
You take a steeling breath, and look to Albarn. "Are you ready?"  
  
Albarn glances to the teammate at her side- Ehvans- and when he gave a reassuring smile, she nodded. "Give it to me, Doc."  
  
With some quick applications of restraints, to ensure she doesn't hurt herself with violent convulsions, you inject her with the cure.  
  
It takes effect almost immediately, and the feared convulsions occur. Her heart stops in the process for thirty seconds while her body continues to convulse... And when the convulsions stop- her heart restarts.  
  
A quick test of a fresh blood sample shows that the treatment worked, and she's clear of the disease.  
  
You're about to give the treatment to Akita when you get radioed from the Control Room, who are reporting that the entire building the isolation chamber Keller is in has been overrun to the point that its exterior is already overgrown with vines.  
  
"Wait," Akita raises her hand. "It's possible that I may be able to get through that mess and give Doctor Keller the cure before its too late."  
  
You work your jaw. "Alright. Just how do you plan on getting there, then?"  
  
A grim flash of a smile, and then she looks to Armadn. "Lloyd? Care to give me a lift?"  
  


* * *

  
  
Several Jumpers emerged from the top of Atlantis' Central Tower, and took formation...  
  
One of them opened their back door, and moments later a green dragon burst into existence somewhere in the skies above the top of Atlantis' central spire.  
  
Moments later, a small figure exited that Jumper, and landed atop the Dragons head. And once secured, the dragon roared, and charged with ramming speed towards the overgrown building.  
  
It was a sight that was beautiful to behold in the late sunset glow of New Lantea's twilight hours. Just the bright green light of the dragon, and the crimson glow of sunset reflecting across the unlit towers of the City of Atlantis...  
  
And then, the glowing dragon crashed into the overgrown building, piercing a hole straight through the vine covered exterior, and was not seen again.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Wait here," you are AKITA RED, and you advise Lloyd to stay where he is as you push further into the building.  
  
You marshal past vines that have grown through raw metal and stone- the D'ni stone masons are going to have a field day replacing all of this- and find the isolation room, resembling less that and more... well... the interior of that lab this whole mess started in.  
  
"Keller?" You call out, gazing at the bed in the center, more an altar now. "Doctor Keller, are you here?"  
  
A voice Booms in your head from the room itself- **[She Is Gone. All that remains is I.]**  
  
But- you hear Keller's actual voice speaking different words- "I- I'm here..."  
  
_**[Do Not Believe it. VESTIGES OF A SHELL!!]**_ The Nascent Hiveship yells out- but it does nothing to attack you.  
  
Not yet, at least. With the pathogen still inside you, it's not going to attack. Not yet. It sees you as one of its own.  
  
"Don't worry, Doc, we're gonna get you out of there." You say, approaching the table. Fortunately, it looks like Keller's head and neck are still exposed.  
  
"I- I can't feel anything below my neck," Keller says.  
  
**_[She feels nothing! NOTHING!!!]_** The Nascent Hiveship declares.  
  
"B-But I think i kinda feel my heart racing way too much?" Keller continues. "Oh, god- this thing's growth rate is too much for a human to-"  
  
You jab the first needle into her neck, and inject.  
  
Keller screams- and the Nascent Hiveship roars- _**[NOW YOU DIE!]**_  
  
Tentacle like vines begin to warp towards you at speed--  
  
But you're quicker on the draw, decaptchaloging the second needle and jabbing it into your thigh.  
  
"No!" You bark out as the vines stop mere centimeters away from you, and Keller starts to jerk in position, held restrained by the vines. **"Now _YOU_ Die!"**  
  
And then the freaking convulsions strike you, and your last thought is that you wish you had something to restrain you instead.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Aradia Megido, and your eyes snap open. "EVERYONE! NOW!"  
  
Your gathered group of Alternian Reaper Psychics reach out and grab the bundle of Psychic energy that hitch hiked to Atlantis through Keller, and you begin tearing the thing to shreds- obliterating it down to nothing and erasing it from existence.  
  
The screaming will probably give you a headache for a few hours, but damn, if it doesn't feel good busting this ghost.  
  
Yes, in fact, as you'll later tease Tagora, [_BUSTING MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD._](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObxMP2v6ke8)  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: AUGUST 13TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 02/23/0007.**  
  
"I've been thinking," Tyzias spoke up suddenly in the middle of eating her salad at lunch.  
  
"Oh?" You are Daraya Jonjet, and you raise an eyebrow. "Bout what?"  
  
"Parenting, mostly," Tyzias answers. "About whether or not I'd be a good mother."  
  
You make an 'ah' sound. This is about the whole F.R.A.N. thing.  
  
"Come to any decisions on that?" You ask.  
  
"If I switched from Offworld Travel to Desk Jobs- which, honestly, I think it'd be safer staying on base anyways what with the risk of Exploding Stargates- I think I could pull it off," Tyzias pauses. "But, I dunno if I'd be able to do it alone."  
  
You try a mostly serious, slightly cloaked in humor reply, "Well, you'd need me to make the grub in the first place anyways, so obviously you wouldn't be doing it alone."  
  
Tyzias smiles at you. "I was hoping to hear you say that."  
  
"So... Are we going to try it?" You ask.  
  
"I think once a request to shift more to desk duty goes through, yeah," you nod. "Plus, I've got a trip back to Diaspora soon on my schedule, so... what better time to try than then?"  
  
"It'd certainly be pretty close to the caverns," you nod in agreement. "So... let's do the parenting thing?"  
  
"Let's," Tyzias nods.  
  
You get the feeling this is going to be the start of a rather long adventure.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Jennifer Keller, and you open your eyes to the familiar ceiling of the regular Atlantis Infirmary.  
  
You raise your hands, and see no slimy substance or weird vines growing out of them, and giggle in nervous relief.  
  
"Welcome back, Jennifer," Doctor Janet Fraiser hovers nearby.  
  
"Thanks, Doc," you say. "That was... _not fun._ "  
  
"Tell me about it," she shakes her head. "Akita and Lloyd had to barge through the side of the tower to get that shot to you before it was too late."  
  
You vaguely remember the distant visual image of a green energy dragon smashing into the side of the Isolation Room Tower, and Akita charging through the vines to inject you with the cure.  
  
You don't really remember too much else, though. You think you'll be happy blocking the rest of those memories out.  
  
"How're they anyways?" you ask.  
  
"Akita took the cure moments after she gave it to you, and the Entity had no hosts to go into, so the combined might of about five or six Alternian Rust Blood Psychics exorcised it into oblivion," Janet smiles. "I heard from Aradia that it screamed, cursing like only a Wraith could to its last breath."  
  
"I normally don't want to hear people suffer," you say, closing your eyes for a moment. "But after what that thing just put me through, I'm glad." You can't help but open your eyes again and look at Janet. "Does that make me a bad doctor?"  
  
"No, it makes you human," Janet pats you on the shoulder. "Now get some rest. You've been through a lot."  
  
"I will," you nod.  
  
With that promise extracted, Janet turns and goes to tend to another patient...  
  
Holy shit- "Ford?" You stare at the man, lying on a bed.  
  
"Oh, right," Janet turns back to you and gives a smile. "Working on the cure for you, Albarn, and Akita gave me the breakthrough I needed to keep Ford stable when we pulled him out of stasis."  
  
"Has he woken up yet?" You ask.  
  
"Not yet, no," Janet shakes her head. "But, we're seeing improvement in his health and brain waves, so it'll happen any day now."  
  
"Good," you relax back into bed. "That's great news to hear."  
  
Janet nods, and tends to the man.  
  
You can't help but sigh in relief. At the very least, the living hell you went through was good for something.  
  
Now if only you could shake the feeling that life is about to get a thousand times harder the minute you're cleared to get out of bed.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Argo Lalonde, and you stop as you enter the admin's office- seeing Woolsey standing with his back towards you, as he faces out the window, gazing down at the Stargate.  
  
You cough.  
  
He doesn't hear you.  
  
You cough louder.  
  
He still doesn't hear you.  
  
"Excuse me, Mister Woolsey?" You ask.  
  
He shakes his head, finally hearing you, and turns around. "Ah, yes?"  
  
"I have the proposed budgets and requested resources from the Science and Translation departments for you to look over," you tell him.  
  
"Oh, right, of course," Woolsey nods. "Just place them on my desk. I'll get to them later."  
  
You nod, do so, and then move to stand next to him. "Pardon me if you feel it's not my place, but is something the matter, Sir?"  
  
Woolsey glances at you, and then turns his attention back to the Gate. "I felt like I was not in control over the situation at all, yesterday."  
  
"Oh?" you ask, raising an eyebrow. "From my perspective it seemed like you had a firm grasp on the situation."  
  
"That was less my having a firm grasp on the situation, and more the experienced personnel of this City having a firm grasp on the situation," Woolsey clarifies. "I just listened to people who had already made up their minds and let them go ahead and do it because I..." he trails off.  
  
"Because you what?" You ask.  
  
"I can't trust the rules," he says. "In my time at the IOA, the rules have changed a thousand times over. But I'm a man of honor, and integrity- that's what I've told myself since the beginning. If I can't trust the rules to work with me, rather than against me..." he shakes his head. "You know that a proposed IOA protocol would have had me ordering that was infected be shot before I ever was supposed to consider a risky drug threapy? And the only reason that didn't go through was because I'd shot it down back when I was still working as a member of the IOA. Before I got shoved over here for 'being on your side' too much for the IOA's liking."  
  
You work your jaw as you consider the implications of that. "That's... harsh."  
  
"The IOA was meant to provide Oversight, like the NID, to keep the Stargate program and other military projects from overreaching. Civilian Oversight. That was the idea. But the MINUTE Monroe bought his way into the Committee, things began to change, and now it's as corrupt as the NID ever were with the Trust running the show, if not more so. And when we do manage to get good people installed-"  
  
"It doesn't last because the good ones get punished or hurt," you frown, remembering the Midway incident.   
  
"Exactly," he sighs. "I'm not here by choice. I'm not even sure what they expect me to do except fail and get replaced by someone else! What do I do to solve any of our problems? Especially now that there's this risk that the Sovereign Slayer wound up in enemy hands, and the Wraith are trying to build transforming robot ships. Plus, the idea that Medea is out there, somewhere, plotting..."   
  
"It's a lot to think about, Sir," you say, "But... you do the best that you can. That's how Weir's legacy has held up. She did what she could until the very last. Mikari did what she could until the very last. Jolinar and Sam did what they could until the very last." You pause as he turns to look at you, a lost look in his eyes. "I don't know what kind of leader you'll be, or how long you'll be in command here, Richard Woolsey, but if you want my advice? You do the damned best that you can until the very last."  
  
He nods, "Thank you, Argo. I appreciate the thoughts."  
  
You nod in turn. "Any time, Sir."  
  
He turns back to stare at the Stargate for a moment, and then nods, and returns to his desk.  
  
"Alright then," he says with a quick adjustment of his glasses. "Let's get to work."  
  
"Let's," you nod in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Episode: SGA:05X03: Broken Ties (Part 1).  
> \---  
> A more up-to-date version of the Great Big Web of Everything is in the works thanks to efforts by niacdoial! Bare in mind it's not just including updated family tree links but also a WHOLE heck of a lot of everything else connections wise. 
> 
> It may not be the final FINAL version of it, but expect that to take the place of a chapter sometime next week.  
> \---
> 
> So YEAH. That was one of the few Season 5 Atlantis episodes I could adapt, and, hoo. BOY, is it a doozy of an episode, given adapted modifications to the timeline and all that. 
> 
> Finally we're getting to the whole "Wraith see humanoid mech and make their own" plot point I was wanting to work in back since Season 2! It's... been a while. LOL.
> 
> Also, similarly of waiting a while, Guessss Whaaaaaat? The Sovereign Slayer brick finally lands! Someone has their hands on the Attero Device capable Spaceship! H3h3h3h3h3. Waaaayy back when I opened that rift and cast the Slayer off into who knows when? Well, I knew when. And it was somewhere around the time Medea landed in Pegasus last act. Remember that spaceship in her journal that she mentioned? :33 
> 
> As for WHO has the Slayer? Well. That'd be telling, now, wouldn't it? ;33 ~~(Seasoned Atlantis Vets could probably take a wild guess, though, given the Act Summary. LOL)~~
> 
> Penny In the Air... And all that Jazz. 
> 
> \---
> 
> So begins the subarc of Daraya and Tyzias deciding to make a family together. F.R.A.N. got Tyzias really thinking hard about it with that whole "Mom" remark.
> 
> This is going to tie into things you probably wouldn't expect going forwards. h3h3h3.
> 
> One of those tie-in moments is focusing a bit on the inevitable restructuring of AR-2.
> 
> \---
> 
> Woolsey is starting to have his doubts about how he can lead a place like Atlantis. His character arc's been building to moments like these ever since he was introduced. Amazing, the power of hindsight to plan a character arc better, eh? :33 
> 
> \---


	5. SGA:05X03: Broken Ties (Part 1).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of 2. In which the past comes back to bite people in the rear end.

_PREVIOUSLY ON STARGATE:_   
_A much younger Keiko Ayano throws herself through a Quantum Mirror._   
_\---_   
_An older Keiko narrated, "That place was weird. Like, it was always overcast with an orange light even though the sky was deep, night time blue, and there was never any sun in the sky. Just stars everywhere. The plants were neon blue or orange, and... it was just weird!!"_   
  
_We see Keiko survivng day to day in the Hunting Grounds._   
_\---_   
_" I... I grew complacent. I Stopped keeping watch of my surroundings and I let my guard down when I went to take a shower in a waterfall... I got ambushed by a nasty looking werewolf."  
_   
_Keiko lifted her shirt, revealing a multitude of scars.  
_   
_"I almost died right there. If someone else didn't save me."_   
_\---_   
_A whirl of scents and sensations- prime among them pain- swirls through your mind as you come back to the land of the conscious._

_Sunlight streams through a curtain of vines into your face, and you squint upwards, realizing they're suspended by a rough cave shape of rocks that looks way too artificially shaped to be natural._

_Your name is Keiko Ayano, and you realize you're lying flat on your back in a bed of hay beneath a rough hide blanket._

_You try to move, only for a surge of pain to run across your whole everything._

_"Oh! You're up," greets a purple haired, crimson eyed wolf girl wearing a similar dress to the one you are. "I wasn't expecting you up so soon."_

_"It's not the worst pain I've ever felt... uh..." you draw a blank on her name. "Sorry, what was your name again?"_

_"Yuuki," the girl says, sitting down across from you. "I didn't quite catch your name either, actually, in all the rush."_

_"It's Keiko," you say._

_"Keiko, huh?" she smiles._

_"So... how did you get here?" You ask instead._

_Yuuki closes her eyes, and you can watch her wolf ears twitch. "I stumbled on an experiment the King's men were performing. They tore open a rift and I fell through, winding up here."_

_"Where is 'here,' exactly, anyways?" You ask._

_"...Right," Her ears fall to the side. "This is the Hunting Grounds. It's where people come to hunt for eternity, if that's what they want."_   
_\---_   
_Your name is John Sheppard, and you look in surprise to see that Rose has brought back with her the Werewolf fae from the other other world connected to Keiko's futuristic Ancient Apocalypse universe, the one all the ZPMS seemed to have come from. Touya, that was his name, and he was... was... what was it Jude had said he was again? Cu-Sidhe? A wolf-faerie, as close to a werewolf as your mind can think of... and probably Rose came to the same conclusion too._

_Well, that's an idea, at least._

_"Annnd... yeah, that's as textbook of a case of an unstable magic empowered werewolf if ever I've seen one, alright," he says, staring at Jade. "Freshly turned, right? When was she bitten?"_

_"Bitten?" you shake your head. "No, she just turned, suddenly."_

_"...Oooh, natural latent gift, that's rarer," Touya winces. "Add in... what is that, Gravity Magic?" Joey nods, and he continues, "Yeesh, that's a double whammy."_   
_\---_   
_Your name is Mallek Adalov, and you awake in the middle of the night (Okay, more like, 1:43 A.M. according to the nearest clock) to the sound of Keiko growling next to you._

_"Keiko?" You ask, snapping fully awake when you recognize that's a lot of pain and frustration in those growls. "What's going on?" You sit up, and look her over._

_Keiko's kneeling in bed, clothes discarded and patches of fur rippling across her limbs and body. There one moment, gone the next._

_"Ffff..." She snarls. "Fucking Moons! I'm barely- nngh!- keeping it in check...!"_   
_\---_   
_A jumper flies in towards the Daedalus, crashed into a moon's surface as Gordon Freeman remarks in narration:_

_"It's a dimensional clone of the Daedalus."_

_\---_   
_"Bodies?" Your name is Jennifer Keller, and you feel a little sick to your stomach as you hear the news._

_"They're pretty mummified, so they've been here for a while," Keiko reports over the radio. "Probably even before life support shut down, if I had to guess. It looks like they both went werewolf and clawed eachother to death."_   
_\---_   
_"Oh, well. That's not good," Sheppard remarks._

_"Obviously," Ronon quips in return. "There's no hyperdrive."_

_Your name is Rhubee Xaolon, and you snort at that exchange despite the uneven keel of the sight before you._

_The main control room for the Hyperspace Drive and Power Core is tilted at the usual uneven angle. Staring through the window to the Hyperdrive itself?_

_...There's a perfectly spherical section of grassy flatlands that *looks* like it's severely tilted at a bad angle, but... it's actually level with what should be the ground below the ship._

_After a few moments of staring, a sphere of light engulfs the oddity, and when it vanishes, the grasslands have been replaced with a dense section of pine forest._   
_\---_   
_PVVVVMMM-SHING!_

_A small figure in a very futuristic, almost skin tight spacesuit collapses onto the floor, apparently not having taken into consideration the idea that gravity might have been restored when they were re-materailized._   
_\---_   
_You are Rhubee Xaolon, and you're staring at a human, alternate dimension version of yourself._

_"First Lieutenant Ruby Branwen, Guild of Maintainers Remnant Squad!" The girl salutes as she introduces herself to everyone- gathered now properly in the Engine Room. "Reporting for Duty, Sir!"_

_"Why don't you tell us what happened, Lieutenant?" Sheppard asks. "And start from the beginning. The Ship's missing a lot of its memory."  
_ _\---_   
_Your name is Daraya Jonjet, and you have a splitting headache as you try your best to focus your entire everything on keeping from transforming out of your spacesuit._

_"Colonel Ozma!" A voice shouts- Rhubee? No, Ruby Branwen likely- sounding shocked and angry. "What are you doing!?"_

_"It is as you said you yourself when you threw the Amulet into the rift, forcing me to chase after it, Lieutenant Branwen! 'I am doing what needs to be done!'" A man's voice yells in turn. "I call forth the armies of Hircine to-!"_

_"Now!" Tyzias's harsh whisper is as loud as a shout to your ears._

_PVVVVM-SHING!_

_And suddenly, the pressure inside your body ceases to build, and begins to relax. You gasp for breath._

_"WHAT!?" The man yells out. "NO! THE AMULET!!! YOU FOOLS! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE--"_

_PCH-BWAM! And then the high pitched howl of Ronon's power blaster fires off- Glass shatters- followed immediately by that of several quick blasts of a P-90 and the man's sharp cry of pain._

_You get to your knees, and then to your feet and peer out the window into the hyperdrive chamber. It takes you a moment to realize that the window itself is gone, and that the blur standing on the edge of the frame is actually Karren, pointing her Pink P-90 down into the room below, and a rather blurry, grey haired man, wearing what you can only guess are Daedalus Commander BDUs, lies on the ground, bleeding out, if not already dead, going by the massive pool of red._   
_\---_   
_Medea stomped through the snow back into the wrecked remains of that crashed Puddle Jumper.  
_   
_"DAMN IT ALL! DAMN IT ALL! DAAAAAAAAMN IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT AAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!!" She roared._

_Her plans had been so thoroughly ruined. But... but... She was going to make them PAY._

_And pay they would._

* * *

**EARTH DATE: AUGUST 22ND, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 03/03/0007.**  
  
 _The bearded teenager sneaked quietly towards the old, dilapidated house in the middle of the woods in the deep dark of an Alien Planet's Night. There were EIGHT MOONS in the sky- which was just an absurd amount of moons for any planet to have visible at the same time, really._  
  
 _The beard, of course, was obviously fake to anyone with two eyes- because the teenager was not a male, but rather, a girl pretending to be her ESCAPED CONVICT FATHER for the purposes of PERSONALLY BENEFICIAL CRIME._ That much was obvious from the first line of the Alternian title of the film, _"In which our Earth Born heroine dresses up as her Creepy, Bearded, Convicted Murderer (but presently escaped and at large) Father to commit crimes that benefit her and her quadrant mates while framing everything on the man she loathes the most."_ You're not going to list the rest of it.  
  
It was something of the main gimmick of this "SPECULATIVE FUTURE MOVIE" - one of the first of its generation, a collaboration between the NEWLY REBORN ALTERNIAN GALAXY MOVIE EMPIRE and Earth's own HOLLYWOOD.   
  
_The teen waited by the back door of the house, and sure enough, out came an Alternian boy with a grimace on his face, and two large and fluffy DOGS on LEASHES._  
  
 _Their eyes meet for an extended moment._  
  
 _And then the Alternian boy gave the bearded teen- his Moirail- no mind at all, and instead went out to walk the dogs._  
  
 _With a slow exhale of breath, the disguised teen sneaks into the house, and makes their way past mold ridden walls, ash covered floors, and a kitchen table that was home to far, FAR too many emptied alcoholic glasses._  
  
 _There was one that was shattered on the floor near an overturned chair, next to an equally shattered ash tray with still smoldering contents chilling on the grime tiled floors._  
  
 _The beard-masked teen decaptchalogued a ZAT GUN-_ which looked nothing like the actual Zat Guns you've seen, and rather more like a "Sleek, Futuristic Re-imagining" of such a device _\- and made her way into a living room home to at least a dozen cats._  
  
 _The teen idly pet one of the cats on the head- her eyes darting around trying to find her target._  
  
"What's with all the cats?" Ronon asks, quietly, yet loudly around a mouth full of popcorn.  
  
"It's an old trope back on Earth," Mckay answers, even as the teen quietly makes her way towards a bedroom door. "'Crazy Old Cat Lady,' usually meant she was home alone all the time and her only friends was the army of cats she tended to."  
  
"The meaning here's probably a bit different, though," John says. "Considering the last hour and a half of plot, at any rate."  
  
"Sssh!" Jade hisses as the scene cut outside, briefly, showing the Alternian boy- a Bronze Blood- commune with the cats inside, calling them to exit the house in mass like a wild wave of felines.  
  
"They care about the cats!" Keller coos.   
  
_The beard wearing teen enters a bedroom, and there on that bed sits a woman- old, human, and blatantly drunk off of her ass._  
  
 _"Hello, Grellod," the teen speaks, making her voice sound as old and as gruff as she remembers her father sounding when she was a teen. "It's time you paid the piper for what you've done to ruin Ventus' life."_  
  
 _The woman stares at the teen- her eyes widening in fear as the Zat gun is raised, and then opens her mouth._  
  
 _"FUCK YOU, BASTARD! LIKE YOU'RE ONE TO JUDGE AFTER YOU DID THAT SHIT TO YOUR ONLY DAUGHTER!" And then the most damning thing- "I SEEM TO RECALL YOU HAVING NO PROBLEMS WITH ME DOING THIS SHIT BACK WHEN THEY WERE KIDS! YOU UNGRATEFUL-!"_  
  
 ** _PCY-ZYOOOOOOM!_**  
  
"Man," your name is Argo Lalonde, and you can't help but scoff as the woman hits the ground, and a lit cigarette hits the floor. "They really tried to up sell the power of a single Zat Shot there, didn't they?"  
  
 _The teen knocks some flammable looking papers off of a table onto the ground next to the lit cigarette. She's visibly disgusted,_ and honestly, so would you, after the life these kids have led.   
  
_It's not enough, though. She grabs a lighter from a nearby stand with a gloved hand, forces it into the unconscious' woman's hand,_  
  
 **Flick- Clink- FWOOSH.**  
  
 _The lighter falls into the lit pile just the same._  
  
 _The teen makes her way out of the house as the lighter sets a larger fire than the cigarette alone._  
  
 _Ashes lingering on the floors ignited instantly for a second round. The nicotine fueled mold growth burned with all the power of countless years of second hand smoke._  
  
 _The teen exited the house, and made her way into the forest where her Moirail and all the animals that had lived in the house now stood, watching, as a house went up in flames, and with it, countless years of bad memories._  
  
 _For a moment, the girl removed her fake beard, and stared at the house with something akin to satisfaction, grim as it was._  
  
 _Then, she put it back on, gazed at her Moirail, and gave a nod._  
  
 _He nodded in turn._  
  
 _The unspoken plan would be followed._  
  
 _The girl made her way out through the forest, past a house with a security camera on its front door, and then back into the forest where she ditched the Disguise, and made her way back to her own house._  
  
 _She climbed up a vine trellace into her bedroom, and had barely settled in when her cellphone- resting, charging on the nightstand, rung._  
  
 _She answered, and Her Moirail exclaimed, panic in his voice- that he'd just called emergency services because his house was on fire._  
  
 _The teen girl ran down the hall to inform her mother... and the rest, as they said, was history._ The credits began to roll.  
  
"What?" Jade stares at the screen. "That was it?"  
  
Ronon scoffed. "Dumb plot. They should've just fed her to a Wraith. And then shot them both."  
  
You look towards him and say, "I dunno, I thought it was sweet."  
  
"But that was it?" Jade asks. "But- but- that was it!?"  
  
"You're talking about a bank robbery worth over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to pay off a Kismesis' medical bills, and sabotaging a land mogul's car's breaks so he crashed into a lake so her Matesprit's farm wouldn't get bulldozed," John says. "Ending it with a petty act of arson and murder is pretty fitting, all things considered."  
  
"At least they saved the cats?" Mckay offers. "They're not irredeemable monsters!"  
  
"I think ending it there works fine," you say, "gives them plenty of plot to work off of when it comes time for a-"  
  
And then, on screen, in the midst of the fancy credits, it states, "Taylor and her Quadrant Mates will Return in 2005."  
  
"...A Sequel," Keller finishes for you. "Oh, god, we have to wait for 2005 for the sequel!?"  
  
"See, they were setting up for a part 2 the entire time!" You say.  
  
"I guess that works out," Jade muses.  
  
"I can't believe they're leaving us hanging like that!" Keller throws her hands at the screen.   
  
"I still say they should've fed the woman to a Wraith," Ronon restates.  
  
"I would've thought you'd be more generous than that?" Mckay states.  
  
"I know an irredeemable monster when I see one, Mckay," Ronon answers. "Only good they're for is Wraith Food. And you know how much I hate the Wraith. Hence, shooting them both while the Wraith's feeding on her."  
  
"...You raise a valid argument," Mckay relents.  
  
You see a look in Ronon's eyes as you glance his way. It's the look one has when committing to a particular course of action.  
  
You get the feeling it'll become relevant sooner rather than later.

* * *

[ **O <\--- STARGATE ATLANTS --->O** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0K2bRdtGlg)

* * *

**EARTH DATE: AUGUST 26TH, 2003.**   
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 03/07/0007.**

It happened in a forest, outside of a small house not too different from the one that had been set abalze in the movie, on P96-237. It happened, and it happened fast.  
  
One of Ronon's old Satedan buddies who'd turned Wraith Worshipper emerged from behind a tree, along with a trio of Wraith grunts, armed with stunners.  
  
However the man had survived his last encounter with Ronon did not matter, because Ronon took a swipe through the air with his bare fist- and four blasts of deadly energy shot out and struck each target square in the chest with a resounding PCH-BWAM!!!  
  
And that was the mission report.  
  
You are still Argo Lalonde, and you stare at three nearly identical mission reports detailing the encounter.  
  
Very fast, very clinical, very ruthless.  
  
The only report missing from the bunch was Ronon's own report.   
  
Woolsey had started making it mandatory for each member of a team to file reports, rather than just team leaders. It was... slow to catch on, to say the least. Even so...  
  
Reading the same thing three times over was just...  
  
Damn.  
  
When you were expecting Ronon to do something after seeing that movie, you weren't expecting, well...  
  
 _ **This!**_  
  
Still. It's a better outcome than you were expecting.  
  


* * *

  
  
"So... You've got everything?" Your name is Rodney Mckay, and you stare at your Replicator Cloned alternate self standing with a backpack on his back and a load of other goodies in his sylladex.  
  
"Yep," he answers. "I think that's everything. And even if it's not, the Unwritten's not taking proper flight for another few months, so, it's not like we'd be out of contact with you forever just yet."  
  
"Alright, well," you hesitate. "Do some good out there, alright? I'd be there to help see it through, but-"  
  
"Yeah, I know, Atlantis needs a Rodney Mckay," he answers. "And there's two of us. Well, two of our teams, so. It'll be better this way, right? We can't build a bridge back to our dimension from here, so we'll hitch a ride on the Castle Ship that travels to other dimensions! Maybe we'll luck out and find ours again."  
  
"I hope so," you say. "I just feel bad that we couldn't help you guys more directly, after everything you did to help us out."  
  
"Hey, it's no big deal," he states. "You and I have different paths to walk. Some are just... longer than others."  
  
"Tell me about it," you nod. "Just... be careful, alright?"  
  
"Will try," he nods. "But, ah, you know our luck, right?"  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is John Sheppard, and you watch as Aiden Ford struggles to walk across the room adjacent to the infirmary that had been set up with mobility rehabilitation equipment. Minori is observing his progress, too, though in the more professional sense than the purely friendship based sense going on with you.  
  
There's a determined look in the Aiden's eyes- both perfectly normal and nothing strange about them what-so-ever- as he carries himself from one end of the room to the other.  
  
He's Aiden Ford through and through as he should have been. No Wraith Enzyme pumping through his veins, no intentions to take over the universe or whatever... and no memory of the last few years at all. Boldir's looked at him. Barzum's looked at him. Hell, even Mierfa came to visit for a few hours to take a look at him.  
  
As far as anyone can tell, Aiden's memories end with him going over the rails with a Wraith clinging to him.   
  
It's a grand and total reset of who he was- whatever the hell Medea did to him, it was probably pretty similar to what happened to Michael. A total undoing of everything.  
  
Rule Breaker, Keiko and Silica told you, was rumored to have become Medea's title because she was so good at breaking MAGICAL and MYSTICAL CONTRACTS as well as of the verbal ones.  
  
It stood to reason that if she was targeting something specific- like powers and the knowledge of how to use them- and had the time to properly prepare, then other memories associated with that time would become undone just the same. Of course, none of that was helped by the fact that among those missing memories were any hint or clue as to whether Medea would try again with her insane schemes.  
  
Nor did it help matters any that, from Aiden Ford's perspective, he'd been flung forwards in time from that day when the Siege had happened.  
  
Hearing about what had happened to him was hard on the man, making his stubborn ascent towards recovery all the harder.  
  
This was the third time today he'd attempted walking the room, and it was far too fast for anyone's liking. He simply was pushing himself too fast and the strain was obvious. But so far not even Doctor Fraiser had been able to stall him with concerns over his health.  
  
That much didn't change, you suppose.  
  
And thus, the Lieutenant finished the walk for the first time today, and nearly collapsed when he had no more bars to support him. But he grinned.  
  
"Alright, that's good progress for today!" Minori began, moving to support him. "Now take a break and let your body rest, Ford!"  
  
"Alright," he relented, that satisfied grin not disappearing. "I did what I wanted to do today. I'm good for resting."  
  
Minori sighed in disbelief, glancing your way. Your cue.   
  
You bring over the wheelchair, and say, "Nice Job, Ford."  
  
"Thank you, Sir," he nods.  
  
Soon, you've got him in the chair, and are wheeling him back to the Infirmary.  
  
"Sir, about what happened-" He begins for the tenth time today.  
  
"Ford, we've been over it. What happened happened, and it's not your fault. You baiscally got body jacked by a couple dozen hundred alternate selves at once," you tell him. "It happens."  
  
"But after I caused you all so much trouble I-" he tries THAT argument again.  
  
"Ford- Aiden- listen to me, alright? None of us blame you for what happened. We know it was the Wraith Enzyme, and then Medea messing with your head. _It's. Not. Your. Fault."_ You tell him that for what feels like the tenth time today.   
  
"...I'm not sure I feel that way, Sir," Ford says.  
  
Soon, he's back in bed, resting, and you talk with Minori.  
  
"Well, I can't say that any of this is good for his physical or mental health," she shakes her head. "I knew we should have held off on telling him what happened until he was better, so he didn't push himself, but..."   
  
"Ford didn't want to wait," you remind both yourself and her. "He knew something was off, and wanted to know what it was. He'd have dug into it the moment he was able to walk on his own."  
  
"Well, regardless, with that done, I have to get ready for another off world trip now," Minori smiles.   
  
"Ah, Tagora's diplomacy team visit another world take five?" You ask.  
  
"Yeah," Minori nods. "A world that got hit heavy with a sudden onset case of Zillyum Lycanthropy."  
  
"Ouch," you wince. "And here I thought we were done with all of that."  
  
"So did they," Minori sighs. "It's weird and concerning, but that's why we're going to help set things up."  
  
"Well, good luck with that," you say.   
  
"Thanks!" She laughs.   
  


* * *

  
  
A bird sat atop the branches of a tree, observing as the Stargate within M9C-8UA's forest activated, and through it stepped an oddball team of five- Yuuki, Minori, Touya, Aradia, and Tagora.   
  
Its gaze followed them as they walked down the path, not even blinking, unnervingly...  
  
After all, its vision was not constrained to its own headspace, but was being shared, and projected into a crystal orb resting within a tent on the outskirts of the rather run down looking village that the team were walking towards.  
  
An observer smiled, and with a raise of his hand, gave the signal for men armed with Wraith Stunners to move to intercept.  
  
Tagora spoke near constantly as they made their way through the forest, and the bird continued to observe, quietly. Indeed, the silence in the forest would have been glaringly obvious to the point of everyone noticing if not for Tagora's rampant talking. As it was, it was fortunate that both Cu Sidhe's ears flexed as they came to the realization there was something off about the sounds.  
  
Yuuki took a moment to sniff the air, and she scowled. "Hey, guys? Anyone smell something off?"  
  
"Off?" Tagora asks. "Like what?"  
  
"Like... I dunno... something..." Yuuki sniffed the air again. "...Alfeheimish."  
  
Touya sniffed the air as well, and scowled. "Yeah. I think I smell it. Something's off. And it's quiet, way too quiet..."  
  
The others came to the realization, and glanced around the forest.  
  
"...I think we should retreat to the-" Tagora never got to finish his sentence because the men dispatched exited from spatial warps of a peculiar purple hue, aiming their Stunners and firing off before anyone could react.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Aradia Megido, and you groan awake as you recover from being stunned.  
  
You're lying on your side on a muddy piece of ground, and you feel all squishy in places you shouldn't be squishy, and cold all over in ways you shouldn't.  
  
You peak open one eye- Mud? You're lying in mud?  
  
Your eyes snap open fully and you glance around, for information.   
  
You're stuck inside of a large, rectangular cage made out of giant metal spikes that seems to have grown out of the ground, and you have been literally stripped of all of your gear and equipment down to your underwear because CLEARLY someone is being savvy and learned not to take chances with missing Sylladexes.  
  
You've been moved somewhere else, that much is clear, because the SKY is a different color.  
  
Everything is lit up in a brilliant shade of orange light, despite stars being visible in a deep blue sky, and a shockingly mundane number of moons- just two. One larger one and one slightly smaller one- both hued blood red.  
  
"Nnngh... what happened?" Minori whimpers, wakening from the stunning.  
  
"We got stunned and stripped," you answer, sitting up for a better look. Similarly stripped are your TEAMMATES, and the cage is comfortably holding all of you without too much trouble.  
  
"Oh, lovely," Tagora growls, likewise probably as awake as you've been- not making a noise until you're sure the others were up. "I hope they know that uniform was custom tailored and treated it with respect."  
  
You pick yourself up from the mud fully to your feet, even as Yuuki and Touya groan awake.  
  
"I doubt that, Tajek," you tell him, moving over to a cage bar and trying to get a decent look at your surroundings. "I don't think they plan on treating any of us with respect."  
  
There are rock walls all around that are covered in glowing neon orange and blue mushroom plants, and there's... Hrmf. There's a nearby river that's practically electric blue and...  
  
"Oh Fuck," Yuuki swore. "It's the Hunting Grounds."  
  
"You've Been here before?" Tagora asks.   
  
"Keiko found me here, once, years ago," Yuuki answered. "Oberonn'd opened a rift, I stumbled through, and got stuck here. She brought me back to Aincrad, and Alfheim through that."  
  
"Lovely," Touya growls. "I was hoping to never see this place in person, you know."  
  
"I think we've got bigger problems," Minori says, gazing out the cage in a different direction. "Look over there."  
  
You all move to look where she's pointing...  
  
"Oh fuck, is that what I think it is?" Yuuki asks.  
  
"It's the Daedalus," you swallow.   
  
"Or atleast some version of it," Tagora answers, gazing on at the top of a large mesa in the distance that has the clear outline of a BC-304 resting atop it. "I think that's the version from New Lantea's moon."  
  
That's when they heard footsteps through the forest, marching towards them.

Within moments, villagers armed with Wraith stunners and a pale man with pale, white hair emerged into view.  
  
They were dressed very similarly- bare chests, wrist and ankle wraps, and fur-skin loin cloths. The various villagers- male and female alike- wore their bare chests with pride- showing smooth skin marred only by tattoos of a nature that envoked imagery of Wolves, Deer, and Hunting.  
  
In Stark Contrast, the pale man with pale hair had a chest that was marred with round, angry red pock marks. It looked like he had been shot in the chest with concentrated bullet fire. Adding to the insanity, the utterly pale and slightly yellowed look to his skin made him look like a walking corpse.   
  
His amber eyes peered over the group in the cages, and then, he spoke. "Well. I suppose this answers whether or not Medea managed to connect us to the right dimension or not." He spoke softly, yet, with a firm tone that spoke of military discipline.  
  
"Who are you?" Touya demands. "And why the fuck did you strip us down to our underwear for!?"  
  
"Why? I needed a closer look at your uniforms," the man said, casually, as if it were no big deal. "As for who I am. I am Colonel Ozma, Commander of the Daedalus."  
  
"You're supposed to be dead," you state the obvious, gazing at the man, and trying to spot signs of Lycanthropy...  
  
"Oh, for a few minutes, I was," this Colonel Ozma states, gazing at you in turn. "However, when my corpse and spirit were returned to the Hunting Grounds, my Lord Hircine revived me, and gave me a new mission."  
  
"And what kind of mission is that?" Tagora asks.  
  
"It's simple, really," The Colonel smirked, revealing rows of fang filled teeth. "I am to take the un-controlled Lycanthropic Masses of your Dimension and bring all of them all under the wing of my Lord's domain." He then looks to Yuuki, and states, "And that includes the Cu Sidhe of Alfheim."  
  


* * *

  
  
The hours went on... and a scheduled check in from Tagora's team on M9C-8UA was almost missed. They were late, infact, by only three minutes.  
  
 _"Atlantis,"_ Tagora's voice came through the radio. _"This is Diplomat team, reporting."_  
  
Woolsey and Argo made their way into the control room, and Woolsey radioed back, "This is Atlantis. What's the situation, Mister Gorjek?"  
  
 _"We have a bit of a situation,"_ Tagora spoke, _"The Villagers are a bit un-trusting. The Lycanthropy's made them jittery. We may need backup in the form of another diplomat."_  
  
"I see," Woolsey nodded. "Is there anything else?"  
  
 _"Yes."_ Tagora continued, _"Apparently there's a man here who recognized our uniforms as Atlantis make, and said he was a survivor from the Daedalus. Said his name was Major Jaune Arc and that he knew Lieutenant Ruby Branwen and wondered if she made it or not. At any rate, the Villagers trust him and refuse to negotiate with us further until he knows she's alive."_  
  
Woolsey hummed in consideration. Argo gave him a look, one with a very stern frown that said 'don't do it, this could be a trap.'  
  
Woolsey took that into consideration. "I'll see if Lieutenant Branwen wishes to speak with the villagers, if she does, I'll add her to another wing of a diplomat escort."  
  


* * *

  
  
On the other end of the connection, a female figure clothed in a blue robe spoke into a pilfered radio with Tagora's voice. _"Understood, we'll hold down the fort until they arrive."_  
  
And with the appropriate sign offs, the crystal ball on the table showed the Stargate shutting down.  
  
With a switch back to her usual voice, the Undine Fae Witch Medea began to laugh.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Something's off," Argo states.   
  
"I've read the reports," Woolsey said. "Is it possible one of the crew was separated from them?"  
  
"I don't know," Argo shook their head. "But we're not just sending Ruby in blindly."  
  
"I agree," Woolsey nodded. "I think it would be for the best if we sent Miss Gray as the diplomat, and Karren and Branwen as the guards. If we leave Xaolon here to use their psychic link as a radio incase something goes wrong..."  
  
"That's pretty smart," Argo agreed. "But I think we need to send someone else, too."

* * *

"ARGH! COME ON!" Minori yelled out in frustration as another magic spell fizzled out.  
  
"This Cage blocks Spell Casting," Touya sighed in defeat. "That's Medea, alright. She probably designed this thing knowing she'd capture a bunch of Fae for doing whatever she wants to do to them."  
  
"This sucks," Yuuki kicked at some mud, sending it flying out of the cage. "I hate this!"  
  


* * *

  
  
"Jaune Arc?" Your name is Ruby Branwen, and the name fills your heart with sorrow. "He's worse than dead."  
  
"And you're sure about that?" Argo Lalonde asks.   
  
"I'm as sure as I can be," you answer. "He was one of the crew members left behind when they went Werewolf in a whole different dimension."  
  
"We're not... triggering this blatantly obvious trap, are we?" Your Alternian Twin asks.   
  
You, her, Karren, and Gray were resting in the gym after a work out when Argo arrived with this disturbing news.   
  
"There's a possibility that this is Medea's work," Argo says. "We still don't know where she went when she escaped with that busted down Jumper. It could have been to wolf world in that other dimension."  
  
"Besides," Karren chimes in, "if this is a trap, they're using our people as bait. And if they're not and this is legit? What's the harm in going?"  
  
"There are too many reasons for us to not go," Gray says, a determined look in her eyes. "And like it or not, we're probably the best shot at getting everyone out in one Linkable shot."  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Richard Woolsey, and you find yourself... conflicted, and feeling the most disconcerting DE JA VU you've ever felt in your entire life.  
  
You're sending a team into what could very well be a trap.  
  
Your mind reels as you recall the after action report of Hammond sending in whole SG-teams to rescue a team that was under fire. You'd called it walking into a deliberate trap then, even if it wasn't quite as cut and dry as you'd pretended back then.  
  
And here you are about to do the same damned thing early into your carreer.  
  
The gut instinct of everyone involved says that this could be a trap. Yet, it's not confirmed.  
  
What do you do?  
  
...You can't risk a repeat of that day on P3X-666. Not if it costs you your already tenuous position here in Atlantis. The IOA would turn around and turn your own logic onto you faster than-  
  
You take a breath, and you get on the Radio, "Argo? Can you bring Lieutenant Shinohara to my office?"  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Aradia Megido, and you feel antsy as another group of scantily clad wolf-folk approach your cage, this time accompanied by a woman wearing blue robes that could barely be called that- given the long open sides from the shoulders down past the hips, and the neck hole that stretches clear down to the waist.  
  
There's a lot of skin there, exposed in a weird ass way that you're pretty certain doesn't actually expose the ass because you catch a glimpse of her reflection in a nearby pool of water and see the back is fully closed up.   
  
Minori, Touya, and Yuuki all hiss upon seeing the woman's face- or rather, her pointed ears.  
  
"Ah, I see that you all recognize my appearance," the woman smirks. "No matter. It saves me the trouble of introductions."  
  
"Let me guess," you gaze at her. "Medea the Rule Breaker?"  
  
"Oh we are so done for," Tagora winces as the woman laughs.  
  
"You won't get away with this!" Minori yells. "When Atlantis realizes we're late for check in-!"  
  
"I've already spoken to them," Medea speaks- but this time with Tagora's voice. "They're sending more diplomats to 'help negotiate.'"  
  
Tagora yells out- _"HEY! NO FAIR! WHY DID YOU CHOOSE MY VOICE TO MIMIC?"_  
  
"Because you were the easiest one to imitate with the limited voice sample I got when you exited the Stargate," Medea answers, with her own voice again.   
  
"Oh. Well.." Tagora's rage simmers down. "I guess that makes sense..."  
  
"Now, then," Medea drew her wierdly shaped knife with her right hand. "I do have some business to attend to and I'm not just here for chit-chat."  
  
"Whatever it is you intend to do with that knife, it's never going to work!" Touya began to posture. "We don't have any magic contracts for you to break!"  
  
"Oh, I think you'll find you're quite wrong about that," Medea smirked, and her knife began to glow as she intoned, "[Rule Breaker,]" and then continued on, "Now, then, it's time for me to make some thralls."  
  
"T-Thralls?" Yuuki backed away from the cage wall. "No way! You can't force us to serve you! Cu Sidhe Lycanthropy doesn't work that way!"  
  
"No, it doesn't," Medea 'tsk'd, and tapped the knife against her lips. "What it does do, however, is create two distinct physical makeups and switches between them magically, and what Rule Breaker will do to you is break that switch and force you into your wolf forms until I decide to release you."  
  
"You'll have to touch us to make that work!" Touya likewise backed away from the cage walls. "So come in here and try it!"  
  
"Oh, dear, whatever shall I do with a too large cage?" Medea 'tsk'd again, and circled around the cage to approach the far wall away from the rest of you. She waved her free arm through the bars as if trying to grasp them, showing how futile it was for her to reach you..  
  
Damn it, if you were closer to that part of the cage you could grab her arm.  
  
She withdrew it, and slapped her free hand against her palm.  
  
"My, what a tactical blunder!" Medea said, voice faux in shock. "Not." And then she tapped Rule Breaker against the metal bars of the spike cage- and a web of magical electricity filled the cage.  
  
It struck all of you without ready or evident harm- and it didn't hurt.   
  
...Not for you, Tagora, and Minori, at least. But for Yuuki and Touya? They began to SCREAM as their transformations were forced through, and they fall to their hands and knees.  
  
Medea laughed. "Oh, and good luck controlling your wolf forms when your rational minds are ALSO locked away with your human forms. Toodles!"  
  
And then she walked away.  
  
"This just got a thousand times worse, didn't it?" Tagora asks as the three of you back away from Touya and Yuuki- rip, snap- oh, great, there goes the rest of their clothing. You're starting to suspect you understand why these Werewolves stripped you down so much when they captured you.  
  
"Best case," Minori swallows. "They bite us and we all turn Werewolf and get stuck like that."  
  
"What's worst case?" Tagora asks.  
  
"They kill us and eat us?" Minori offers.  
  
"Ooh, not so fun, that one," you wince, watching as Touya and Yuuki's transformations finish, and two snarling werewolves pick themselves up to their feet. "Let's seriously hope it's the best case and not worst!"  
  


* * *

  
  
You are now Minori and for several long, terrifying moments, you hold your eyes closed tight and wait for the pain of claws or teeth to rip into your flesh.  
  
Then. A tongue licks up across the side of your face.  
  
You open your eyes, and see that Touya's wolf form is just... sitting there next to you, a concerned look in his eyes.  
  
"What the shit?" Tagora asks. "They're... docile??"  
  
Yuuki yips what you recognize as an affirmative 'yep.'   
  
You look to Touya, and ask- "Did... did she lie?"  
  
Touya shrugs his shoulders, and tilts his head. A 'Dunno, It didn't work completely' if ever you saw one.  
  
"I..." Aradia swallows. "I think Medea either failed to divide their minds because she didn't understand how the magic worked..."  
  
"Or?" You ask.  
  
"Or she fucking lied to terrify them and make them lose control on their own," Aradia glances out into the forest, trying to catch any sign of Medea at all. "...Either way. Whatever she wanted to happen, didn't."  
  


* * *

  
  
"It failed, Medea," Ozma growled.  
  
"Of course it failed," Medea snapped back. "I told you that Fae Lycanthropy doesn't work like that."  
  
"You sure acted like it did to them, you lying witch," Ozma countered.  
  
"I only read off the script you told me to, you ungrateful Pup!" Medea countered. "At any rate, it half worked! They're stuck in their wolf forms now. I just have to refine the technique further."  
  


* * *

  
  
Lieutenant Shinohara, Miyu, was not what most people would call a sharp shooter. In fact, her record with standard fire-arms had earned her a rather negative score on most shooting ranges.   
  
What, then, it may be asked, was the reason that the Japanese-American woman had come to Atlantis? Well, primarily, she didn't. She was a member of the Apollo's regular crew, and her ability to fire standard guns of any kind didn't diminish her ability to fire OTHER types of heavy weaponry.  
  
Infact, it was her incredible spatial awareness and ability to track firing arcs of massive explosive devices- grenades, rockets, missiles, you name it- that gave her a position in the military that had her anywhere near Atlantis to begin with.  
  
That said, the Apollo was grounded for the time being, and she had nothing to do.  
  
Woolsey's decision to send her along as a diplomat's bodyguard escort team was... Well. It was simply put, a case of "In Case of Emergency: Blow it all up."  
  
After all, without a dedicated Pyromaniac like Polypa Goezee, or Daraya Jonjet available, she was the next best bet.  
  
(And Daraya was decidedly unavailable. Her and Tyzias were on "Shore Leave" back in Diaspora visiting around with Tyzias' moirail, Barzum.)  
  
It's with those thoughts in mind that you, Rhubee Xaolon, watch your team head through the gate with an extra teammate.  
  
You feel the connection stretch across the galaxy as they travel through the wormhole... and arrive safely on the other side.  
  
 _[I'd feel better about all of this if I'd gone with you,]_ You state for the record.  
  
 _[Someone has to stay behind to serve as the warning flag if something goes wrong,]_ Karren reminds you.   
  
Gray continues, _[And if it does, you get the Lancer prepped for combat. I'll try my best to pull it to us when the time comes.]_  
  
 _[I know, I know, I know the plan!]_ You gripe, staring at the Stargate as it shuts down. _[I just would feel better if it were me there and not Ruby. She doesn't even have super speed!]_  
  
 _[No offense taken, by the way,]_ Ruby states. _[It is true!]_  
  


* * *

  
  
You are now Kohiru Karren, and you try your best to focus on the surroundings while your new 'teammate' blabbers on about her pet puppy FUKAJIROU and how adorable he is. Which you don't doubt, but is this kind of thing the right conversation to be having in a case like this?  
  
 _[But really,]_ Rhubee sounds nostalgic. _[I just kinda miss the days when Karren and me were the diplomat bodyguards! Remember that Karren??]_  
  
 _[Yeah, I remember,]_ you agree with a nod she can't see. _[I also remember us getting a house shot up, a playground torn up, and an- an ice cream shop, wasn't it?]_  
  
 _[Something like that!]_ Rhubee sounded not so sure herself, but agreed anyways. _[Man, what a crazy day that was!]_  
  
That's when there's the sound of a twig snapping.  
  
You all stop.  
  
 _[Shit,]_ Gray swore. _[I don't like the feel of this...]_  
  
"Ahaha... I just realized how quiet this forest is," Shinohara remarked nervously...  
  
Portals ripple open and men armed with Wraith Stu-   
  


* * *

  
  
You're suddenly Rhubee Xaolon yet again, and you jolt in position as you feel your teammates stunned and rendered unconscious.  
  
"FUUUUUUUUUCK!" you shout into the air.   
  
Everyone in the Control Room turn to look at you with concern.  
  
Oh, but it gets worse- your bond with your teammates suddenly stretches AGAIN. And it stretches SIDEWAYS compared to how you're used to with Stargate Travel.  
  
No, this was more akin to a LINK.  
  
They've been pulled into a whole other fucking DIFFERENT DIMENSION.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Ruby Branwen, and you come to in a wooden cage suspended over a large stone pit- stripped of most of your clothing save for your under shirt and shorts. Geeze, it's cold up here.  
  
You're not the only one suspended high up above this stone pit. Your internal mind link tells you that GRAY and KARREN are to your left and right respectively, which leaves the strange connection you can feel dragging up and to the sideways zoneward direction (Eh??) is Rhubee off in Atlantis...  
  
She feels so very very far away. You can't hear her thoughts.  
  
 _[Rhubee?]_  
  
...No reply.  
  
 _[Gray? Karren?]_ You check- and the other two start to stirr, if their mental reactions are anything to go by.  
  
 _"Yooohooo!"_ A voice cries out from opposite you.  
  
You twist around and gaze across the stone pit- no, it's an arena you're now realizing. There are wooden cage doors scattered through the walls near the ground... and there's arena seating scattered about...   
  
"Hey! You're awake, aren't you??"  
  
...Right.  
  
You glance across the way, and realize that Lieutenant Shinohara is in the last cage. Lovely.  
  
"Yeah?" You call back across the way, sitting up. "I am. What's going on?"  
  
"I dunno!" Shinohara calls out. "Was hopin' you recognized this place. Some other dimension it looks like. Lookin' familiar to you yet?"  
  
You gaze around. Unfamiliar sky. Unfamiliar surroundings-- Wait. Fuck. "I see the Daedalus from here."  
  
"What!? Really!? What's it doing here!?" Shinohara... oh, Shinohara, you shouldn't ask that.  
  
"I don't know and I don't want to know." You mentally poke Gray and Karren. _[Hey! Wake up! We're in trouble!]_  
  
"Ah. You're awake, Lieutenant Branwen. Perfect."  
  
And then you go stone cold as a man steps out of a portal near an outcropping above you. You already know who it is by his vocie alone.  
  
"C-Colonel Ozma!" You gaze up, seeing the familiar, scowling face, and the myriad of bullet scars on his chest. "You're alive...!"  
  
"No thanks to you," he kneels down, speaking with an almost... frigid tone of voice. "Do you know how many hoops we had to jump through to deliver that Artifact to Lord Hircine, just to have you snatch it from my hands and destroy it?" He asks, somehow keeping his tone of voice level.  
  
"No," you snarl back at him. "Just how many, huh? How many did you have to jump through?"  
  
"...You really don't remember do you?" Ozma's stern expression turns confused, softening. "That's a shame. I wondered why you'd turned on me like that. Someone changed your memories, didn't they?"  
  
"What the fuck are you talking about?" You ask- desperately trying not to let on that you have severe, major holes in your memory.  
  
"How do you think so many of our crew got turned while only a few were spared?" Ozma leans in close. "I'll give you a hint. We were spared because we were ALREADY IMMUNE."  
  
"Liar," you glare at him- trying not to let his words get to you. He's just trolling you. He's trying to make you doubt. Trying to make you-  
  
"We'll see who's the liar when Medea is done with your friend with the Bat wings over there," Ozma states, and you turn your head in Gray's direction.  
  
Medea stands next to the cage as a few women-guards drag her out of the cage.  
  
 ** _[GRAY!]_** You yell. **_[WAKE UP!]_**  
  
She groans, but she's still out of it from the Wraith Stunners. Damn it!!!  
  
Medea just laughs as she opens a portal, and steps through it- the women drag Gray through it moments later, and you feel her string of connection dart across the realm you're in to somewhere else in it.  
  
"An interesting girl, that one," Ozma observes. "She has the stench of two timelines within her genetics. A Living Paradox."  
  
"Leave Gray out of this," you turn on him, glaring. "She hasn't done anything to you!"  
  
"Oh, that's true," Ozma smirks. "But we can tell she's something special. There's a link of some kind between you and the other girl here with her. We intend to exploit that for our own ends. A mental connection- a true hive mind. It will make subjecting the Lycanthropes of this dimension all the easier. It's quite fortunate that you walked her into our paws, Ruby Branwen."  
  
You swallow.   
  
"You really should have just stayed on Atlantis," Ozma tosses a torn piece of fabric into your cage as he stands and leaves. You catch the piece of fabric, and see it's a part of your uniform.   
  
The Atlantis Logo stares right back at you- Pegasus-in-Chevron.   
  
You swallow again. Fuck. _Fuck fuck fucking fuck._  
  
 _ **What the fuck did you even DO on that Ship?!**_

* * *

 **EARTH DATE: AUGUST 27TH, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 03/08/0007.**  
  
You are Artoria Gray, and you awaken in a state of being strung up starfish like with every limb. Arms, Legs, Wings, you're just... pinned and restrained to a large circular stone wall in a large tent. You're suddenly very aware of how little clothing you're wearing because of how cold the stone is against your back.   
  
Medea sits in a lounge chair, legs crossed, just silently staring at you.   
  
"Shit," you grimace. "Don't tell me... You want to use me for wild experimentation and the like?"  
  
Medea smirks. "Well, aren't you a sharp one?" She stands fully to attention. "That's what I'd say if I actually had intent to harm you."  
  
"I don't buy that for a minute," you say, straining briefly against your restraints. "Not with the way I'm strung up like some wild animal about to get skinned."  
  
You really hope this doesn't end up in an Esher Scenario.  
  
She smirks. "The restraints? Insurance you don't attack me. Your state of dress, however, is Ozma's doing. He wants me to use your gifts to make a network for him to hive mind control every werewolf in a dimension at once. Please." A scoff- and a chuckle to boot. "As if I'd give a man I'm about to betray That kind of power."   
  
"You're pretty brave for saying that," you say.   
  
"Not really, we've known the other was about to backstab the other from the moment I accidentally teleported into this accursed dimension," Medea says. "Beyond that, I've also enchanted this tent to produce the sounds of very unpleasant torture as we speak, rather than this pleasant conversation that we are having."  
  
"Okay, say I believe that," you narrow your eyes at her. "What's your game plan here?"  
  
"Well, first it was going to be to use Ozma's little religious cult here to my advantage, make them my servants," she frowns. "Then I realized that they worshiped what basically counts as an Elder God in ancient Alfheim lore, and that said Elder God already tried once already to take over a universe using Ozma as a patsy. Believe it or not, there are others seeking to keep it contained in this eternal hunting ground. **I've had it up to here!"** She throws her hand far up above her head. _**"With Gods! Thinking! THEY! CAN!! CONTROL ME!!!"**_  
  
She stands to her feet and storms over towards you. She leans in close, and you can practically smell the desperation on her breath- it has the scent of booze and liquor.   
  
You wince, but wisely keep your mouth shut.  
  
Medea hisses, "So listen well, little girl. It's in all of our best interests if Ozma gets what he deserves and dies today. You WILL help me shut this down and Bury Ozma For Good. I didn't set out on this journey of conquest to rule like these Wolves want. I set out on it to right the wrongs set against my Ultimate Self that Fate, and other Deities like Hircine have made against me. Mark my words, I will rewrite history to my benefit, and one day, it will involve erasing these Meddling Deities from existence, but so help me. I will NOT allow them any measure of a foot hold and I will NOT be the one to help them achieve it."  
  
"Prove you mean it then," you say. "What happened to Tagora Gorjek's team? Show me them. I might believe you and be considering my abilityto help you. With whatever it is you want my help with. Tell me that, and show me Tagora's team- that's my deal. Got it?"  
  
Well, this wasn't the negotiation you thought you'd be coming into, but... Damn it.  
  
Medea considers it.   
  
Then, she smirks. "Fine. If you agree to help me, you'll be the center stage ritual components for a handy little spell of mine- a test run for my little... Fate Problem, as you might call it."   
  
You start to protest when she gives you a LOOK. Disapproving in a nutshell.  
  
"Oh don't give me That Look. You won't DIE," she states. "if anyone DOES manage to die today, it'll be undone. And If anything, you'll all come out ahead in the long run."   
  
Medea holds up Rule Breaker- manifesting it from thin air. It's strangely shaped blade gleams in the odd lighting. It makes the SPEAR within your powers resonate oddly. It could be VERY bad if she used it on you.  
  
"Inorder for you to do what I need you to do, you'll be taking Rule Breaker from my Past Self entirely. I won't have the MEANS to do anything Ozma's cult wants from me. I won't be able to open the rift that connects this dimension to yours- I won't be able to open any rifts, for that matter. Not with the magic I've BEEN using. Ford's powers will come in handy for my own escape, in that regard, not that I intended to use them for this originally."  
  
"So... you're saying that if I help you stop Ozma here and now," you summarize, "I get that Knife of yours?"  
  
"Indeed, you, will," Medea smirked. "Rule Breaker is one of many tools in my arsenal, but it is one of the most powerful ones of all. My past self will be able to make due without it for a time. Though, be warned, little girl, I WILL be coming to collect it again when the time comes that I need it again."  
  
"Not if we destroy it first," you want to say.  
  
But. You don't.  
  
"Fine," you say. "I've heard you out. Now show me Tagora's team."  
  
"Very well," Medea says. "I owe you that much, at least."  
  


* * *

  
  
 _[Girls, did you get all of that?]_ Gray's voice asks within your skull. You get the impression that she's being taken along a dirt road alongside a river by Medea.  
  
 _[Yeah,]_ your name is Kohriu Karren, and you can't help but feel useless strung up over an arena pit like this. _[I got it. Talk about a double cross.]_  
  
No, what's worse is the slowly growing crowd of barely dressed people- at least the ones who aren't wearing anything have gone fully Wolf Mode and are howling from the stands in anticipation.  
  
 _[I've got the sinking feeling we're about to become the main attraction for probably the worst arena fight in the history of arena fights,]_ Ruby remarks, glumly. _[As if that weren't bad enough, I still don't know what the hell I did to piss Ozma off so much, or if he's even telling the truth about...]_  
  
 _[It'll be alright,]_ You say, looking her way. _[We'll get out of this. Somehow.]_  
  
She smiles, though it's a faint one. _[Thanks, Karren.]_  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Aradia Megido, and you look up as Artoria Gray is brought over to your cage by Medea.  
  
"Oh no," Tagora whines. "Don't tell me they actually sent reinforcements?"  
  
"They did and we are them," Gray smiled- somehow confident? Hmm. Interesting interesting...  
  
How very interesting.  
  
The Cage suddenly changes in front of you- a small bar sinks into the ground just long enough for Gray to be shoved into the cage and be locked inside with the rest of you.  
  
Medea smiled, oddly, and rather warmly said, "Now don't forget our little bargain, Girl. You do as I ask and give me your mental links, and you all get to go home free after the Sacrifice."  
  
"Remember what I asked," Gray states. "As we discussed, if someone meddled with her memories-"  
  
"Yes, yes, Ozma wants me to use Rule Breaker on her anyways to check regardless," Medea rolled her eyes. "I know the plan. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to that. Enjoy your reunion."   
  
And then she teleports away with those same purple rifts.  
  
"What the hell is going on out there?" Minori asked, getting to her feet much to Touya and Yuuki's whining displeasure, having been bundled around her as they were.  
  
"It's a long story, but the short version is we're breaking you guys out," Gray answers. "I made a Deal."  
  
"I hope it's a good one," you say, as you hear the roar of a crowd nearby.  
  
"Me too," Gray sighs. "Me too..."  
  


* * *

  
  
You're once again Kohiru Karren, and you're really unnerved by the growing crowd of people coming to watch what's sure to be a blood bath of some sort.  
  
An outcropping of stone extends out from somewhere in the stands, and once it stops, suspended far over the center of the arena, a portal opens, and Ozma steps out of it.  
  
He throws his arms out wide, and roars- _**"WELCOME TO THE FANG PIT!"**_  
  
This... this is going to be bad, you swallow.  
  
 _[OhMakerOhMakerOhMaker]_ Ruby panics- **_[I'm not ready for this. Medea's here.]_**  
  
You glance her way, and see that Medea has approached Ruby's cage much as Ozma did before.  
  
 _ **"TONIGHT I BRING YOU A SPECIAL TREAT!"**_ Ozma yells.   
  
_[Easy now.]_ Gray sooths her. _[This is part of the plan.]_  
  
 _ **"BEFORE YOU, GATHERED FANGS, ARE THREE FRESH SACRIFICES!"**_  
  
 _[Are you sure that this is really THE plan!?]_ Ruby asks. _[She's saying she's going to stab me with her fucking knife **AND TURN ME INTO A WEREWOLF!?!?]**_  
  
 _ **"WE WILL DROP ONE AT RANDOM INTO THE ARENA TO FACE THE REIGNING CHAMPION!"**_  
  
 _[If there's a memory enchantment on you, she's going to break it,]_ Gray states. _[She knows she has to do this or else she doesn't get what she wants from us.]_  
  
 _ **"IF SHE SURVIVES FIVE MINUTES, SHE WILL JOIN OUR RANKS!"**_  
  
 _[Wait WHAT?]_ you double take. _[Seriously!? How does that equal Lycanthropy??]_  
  
 ** _"AND THEN, ONCE THAT IS DONE, WE WILL DROP THE REMAINING TWO INTO THE PIT TO FIGHT EACH OTHER!"_** Ozma continued.   
  
_[No- I get it-]_ Ruby says- panicked still. _[I just-_ **Shit! I wish I knew if we could trust her!]**  
  
Ozma swung his fist through the air, and a grinding noise could be heard from below.  
  
 _[I know,]_ Gray said. _[But we have to take the risk.]_  
  
 **"NOW!"** Ozma roars. ** _"I INTRODUCE TO YOU CHAMPION ARC!"_**  
  
 _[Arc!?]_ Ruby turns to gaze into the arena- you hear her voice cary over audibly as well. ** _[Oh! SHIT! That's Jaune!]_**  
  
A blonde haired, very muscly man exited from a gate. He strikes some poses, showing off his physique. Ugh.  
  
 _[I can't hold this off anymore!]_ Ruby exclaims. _[I'm telling her to get it over with!]_ And then you hear her shout- _"Quit Grandstanding and get it over with!"_  
  
You watch as Medea actually looks remorseful for a moment, then jabs her glowing knife at Ruby's forehead.  
  
 _ **"[RULE BREAKER!]"**_  
  
The searing roar of pain travels along the line for a moment before you hear the metaphorical unlocking of a very, VERY large mental box.  
  
Ruby's screaming starts the moment the pain stops.  
  
But you've got more problems to worry about than that- a moment later- Shinohara screams as the bottom of her cage drops out, landing her smack dab in the arena.  
  
The roar of the crowds drowns out any other noise you could hear in that moment.  
  
Champion Jaune Arc smirks, and then transforms without any delay, becoming a massive werewolf with golden fur. How massive? He grew atleast three sizes in height instantly.  
  
What the fuck kind of Lycanthropy is that.  
  
Ozma roars: **"THE CHAMPION ARC: THE BEHEMOTH VERSUS A WEAPONLESS WOMAN! TIME ON THE CLOCK!"**  
  
A magical hologram appears in the air above him- a series of five dots- four orbiting a center one.  
  
 **"AND THE TIME STARTS NOW!"**  
  
And then one of the dots starts flashing red as the Behemoth roars- and lunges towards Lieutenant Shinohara.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to tie up some loose ends with the Ronon subplot, just to be sure. Just to get that episode plot out of the way.  
> \---  
> The Replicator AR-1 are going to the Unwritten to travel the multiverse and hopefully find their way back to their own original dimension.  
> \---  
> Ford's up, and still a tad stubborn. But atleast he's not Wraith-Enzyme-driven-insane like he was before.  
> \---  
> Aradia gets some love and focus because her route in Pesterquest had JUST come out when I was writing this and the next episode. Hehehe.  
> \---  
> Speaking of the focus spotlight, here's another little bit of foreshadowing that ties back quite a ways! The Lycanthropy Subplot actually is going somewhere meaningful!  
> \---  
> And more foreshadowing wayyyyy back when starting to pay off. Woolsey's getting put in the situation that brought him into the narrative's attention to begin with.  
> \---  
> Medea is wearing the robes the Daedric prince Nocturnal wears in the Elder Scrolls 5 and the Elder Scrolls Online. I figured since I was pulling a bit from ESO for Hircine's realm, I'd go a bit further and pull a different Daedric prince's outfit for Medea.  
> \---  
> Lieutenant Miyu Shinohara is another SAO Expy. In canon SAO Alternative: GGO: She's the player of Fukajirou, and the IRL best friend of Kohirumaki Karen, a.k.a. Llenn. She dual wields grenade launchers in GGO, which is an absurdly hilarious thing to do.
> 
> I'd also just happened to finish reading the latest english release of the SAO;A;GGO Novel around the time I was writing this chapter, and thus, had her characterization fresh in mind.  
> \---  
> So, Medea isn't exactly working of her own volition here either. Geeze. She REALLY must have made a bad teleport.  
> \---  
> Ozma survived, and he's quite the bastard in this timeline. A bit different from the Ozpin or Oscar of canon RWBY. That said, surviving being shot with a P-90 in the chest is probably going to make anyone pretty cranky and upset. 
> 
> Still. To go this far to brutalize people? Eesh!
> 
> Jaune Arc, naturally, is also a RWBY Expy- extrapolated to violent extremes. I don't got much beef with canon Jaune, but there have been times he's let his anger slip out and HOO. Could it have been nasty if not reigned in, and were instead nurtured. Grown. 
> 
> And finally, Ruby's missing Memories are about to come into play! Ruby never really remembered how any of that went down, and we're about to find out why in the next--
> 
> the next chapter.
> 
> hahah.
> 
> Oh, good grief, that's going to be sunday/monday's chapter, isn't it, cause this is friday??? 
> 
> Hahahaha.... Whoops! Sorry for the weekend cliffhanger, folks >_>;;;; 
> 
> Next Chapter: SGA:05X04: An Experimental Variation (Part 2).  
> \---  
> Fun Fact, by my doing the whole "Alternate Daedalus" plot in the LAST season, that left a gap in the episode timeline where that episode canonically originally appeared. Which is the next episode. That was a funny coincidence. XD


	6. THE GREAT BIG WEB VER.3.0 UPD8

Niacdoial has been helping create a new version of the Great Big web of Everything for Stargate Alternia! Please give a big round of applause for all the work done! It's a heck of a lot of coding to make it viable and I'm seriously impressed. This is in no way complete, I should note. There's still quite a few missing group connections and the like and I really need to go through the whole story and make notes for updates for the next version at some point. 

Just looking at this whole thing is pretty daunting to say the least. XD  
  
There's a reason I've been dreading doing an updated version by myself. I swear, the more condensed ones look like planetary continental maps rather than actual webs of connections. The family tree ones are much more linear and straight forwards, but... bluh. 

Because while I'd like to share every version of this current draft that there is (I was provided with four versions of this 3.0 draft alone!), Rendering issues when uploaded to wordpress took a lot of the readability there out of it. So, today I'm only going to be posting two of the drafts here due to those visual rendering issues that came from re-uploading those PDFs onto my site. Until I can sort out how to make the spread out ones more readable in their upload, the condensed versions will do for now because these more condensed versions are highly more readable compared to what was happening with the spread out ones, even if there's some minor text overlapping issues in some places. Seriously, none of the word bubbles were readable in the spread out version for whatever reason when I uploaded them, which kind of defeats the point! :/  
  
But enough about me complaining about Wordpress glitching things up, we've got the two condensed versions here for your observation and consideration today.

  
  
[Version One - Compact Without Groups](https://axrosspaceandtime.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/more-compact-style-without-groups-2.pdf)

[Version Two - Compact With Groups](https://axrosspaceandtime.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/more-compact-style-with-groups-2.pdf)

I'm seriously in awe of the work that's gone into this, and once more, I'm sort of afraid of my own story for how complex it is. ._.;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...So I'd apologize for the cliffhanger resolution being delayed, but I decided to post this (Sun/Mon) chapter AND the next story Mon/Tues chapter today. You're getting that one after this one. We'll end up with a chapter shorter this week in terms of actual posting days one of these days- I may just not upload anything tomorrow to cover the difference. We'll see.


	7. SGA:05X04: An Experimental Variation (Part 2).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conclusion. Ruby Branwen remembers her past; Gray conducts Medea's ritual; Time Calmly keeps it shit together this time.

**EARTH DATE: AUGUST 27TH, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 03/08/0007.**  
  
Your name is John Sheppard, and you swear as you finish checking the village on P96-237 for life signs with the scanner and the breeze and a good old fashioned spot check. You look to Armadn, nearby. "Anything?"  
  
He shakes his head, "This place is dead."  
  
"This is Sheppard," you radio, "Armadn and I aren't finding anyone. Anyone else got lucky?"  
  
 _"We've got nothing,"_ Ronon answers over the radio- and you can spot him a bit aways away, with Albarn at his side.  
  
 _"This village was abandoned some time ago,_ " Teyla states, from somewhere you can't see. _"I suspect any recent activity here was made in an attempt to lure us in."_  
  
 _"I gotta agree with that,"_ Ehvans chimes in. _"The only thing fresh around here was some food cooked on a fire recently. Everything else- even the beds haven't been used in a really long time."_  
  
 _"I_ **may** _have something,"_ Mckay reports. _"Akita picked up a scent that lead us to a tent on the outskirts of the village, and I'm picking up some trace elements that seem similar to a dimensional rift that was recently opened inside of it. Around the time that Gray's team was taken, if I'm reading the decay right."_  
  
"We'll rendezvous there," you say. "We'll see if we can get that portal open."  
  
It's a wonder Woolsey allowed you to step through the Gate at all after this last bit, let alone with AR-9 as backup.  
  
You'd be tons more comfortable with a couple more squads of Marines at your side, though.  
  
You arrive at a very lavish tent that looks very recently set up compared to the other tents and structures in the village. There's a table with a crystal ball sitting on it.  
  
Naturally, you and Armadn are the last ones to arrive, because you were the furthest away.  
  
"Folksy," you state.  
  
"Yeah, it's quaint alright," Albarn gazes at the crystal ball. "Almost reminds me of one of those Psychic Tents you run into at a carnival."  
  
"'I'll See the future, if you pay me a hundred bucks for fifteen minutes,'" Ehvans quips. "I'd sooner trust the Blind Seers on Diaspora to give me a better fortune."  
  
"So, chances Medea's involved skyrocketing?" You ask.  
  
"Fairly High," Akita nods, grabbing at an open journal and holding it aloft. You recognize the Fae Script before she even states that's what it's written in. "There's something more, though. I've been reading it and come across something concerning."  
  
"What's that?" Ronon asks.  
  
"It mentions her attempts at escaping the planet she got stuck on after escaping the destruction of her Hive, and arriving onboard the Daedalus," Akita states. "And that's where she met one Colonel Ozma."  
  
"That would be the Alternate Daedalus we encountered on the moon," Teyla surmises. "Which means that Colonel Ozma survived being shot and dimensionally displaced to who knows where."  
  
"Great," Ronon smirked. "Means we get another chance at killing the bastard."  
  
"Not so great," Mckay scowls, waving his scanner through the air. "I'm not finding any way to open the rift from this side. If there's a generator powering the connection, it's from the other side. And it's shut off right now."  
  
"Makes sense they'd close up shop with everyone they intended to kidnap, well, kidnapped," Armadn mulls it over.   
  
"It may not be a technical device," Akita speaks. "It might be a magical one."  
  
"You mean Rule Breaker?" Albarn asks.  
  
"Yes," Akita nods. "The knife may be keyed to the spell."  
  
"So you're saying they're stuck there then?" You ask.  
  
"Possibly," Akita nods.

* * *

You are Ruby Branwen, and you look up as you see an outcropping of stone extends out from somewhere in the stands, and once it stops, suspended far over the center of the arena, a portal opens, and Ozma steps out of it.  
  
He throws his arms out wide, and roars- _**"WELCOME TO THE FANG PIT!"**_  
  
 _[This... this is going to be bad,]_ Karren gripes, but you've got bigger concerns.  
  
Medea steps out of a portal and kneels next to you much as Ozma did earlier.  
  
 _[OhMakerOhMakerOhMaker]_ you panic- _ **[I'm not ready for this. Medea's here.]**_  
  
 _ **"TONIGHT I BRING YOU A SPECIAL TREAT!"**_ Ozma yells.   
  
"Hello, my pet," Medea speaks. "It's time for me to use Rule Breaker and turn you into a werewolf as you once were, as Ozma requests."   
  
_[Easy now.]_ Gray sooths you. _[This is part of the plan.]_  
  
 _ **"BEFORE YOU, GATHERED FANGS, ARE THREE FRESH SACRIFICES!"**_  
  
As appreciative you are of knowing that, IT'S NOT WORKING.  
  
 _{Are you sure that this is really THE plan!?]_ You ask. [ _She's saying she's going to stab me with her fucking knife **AND TURN ME INTO A WEREWOLF!?!?]**_  
  
 **"WE WILL DROP ONE AT RANDOM INTO THE ARENA TO FACE THE REIGNING CHAMPION!"**  
  
 _[If there's a memory enchantment on you, she's going to break it,]_ Gray states. _[She knows she has to do this.]_  
  
 _ **"IF SHE SURVIVES FIVE MINUTES, SHE WILL JOIN OUR RANKS!"**_  
  
Medea scowls at Ozma's declaration. "Hrmf."  
  
 _[Wait WHAT?]_ Karren double takes. _[Seriously!? How does that equal Lycanthropy??]_  
  
 _ **"AND THEN, ONCE THAT IS DONE, WE WILL DROP THE REMAINING TWO INTO THE PIT TO FIGHT EACH OTHER!"**_ Ozma continues.   
  
_[No- I get it-]_ You say. You're afraid, but you get the plan. She has to maintain her cover. Damn it- **[I just- Shit! I wish I knew if we could trust her!]**  
  
Ozma swung his fist through the air, and a grinding noise could be heard from below.  
  
 _[I know,]_ Gray said. _[But we have to take the risk.]_  
  
 _ **"NOW!"** _Ozma roars. _**"I INTRODUCE TO YOU CHAMPION ARC!"**_  
  
"Arc!?" You turn sharply to stare into the arena.   
  
A blonde haired, very muscly man exited from a gate. He strikes some poses, showing off his physique. Oh God. OH Fucking HELL. You recognize that cheezy ass grin on his face!! You RECOGNIZE that POSE.  
  
 ** _[Oh! SHIT! That's Jaune!]_**  
  
Damn it! DAMN IT.  
  
 _[I can't hold this off anymore!]_ You decide. _[I'm telling her to get it over with!]_ And then you turn to Medea, and shout, _**"Quit Grandstanding and get it over with!"**_  
  
Medea actually looks remorseful for a moment, then pushes Rule Breaker's tip against your forehead.  
  
 _ **"[RULE BREAKER!]"**_  
  
And then all you know is PAIN.

* * *

[ **O <\--- STARGATE ATLANTS --->O** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0K2bRdtGlg)

* * *

**FEBRUARY 1ST, 2016.**

The crimson liquid burned down Ruby's throat as she chugged it, and then slammed the empty beer can onto the table. "Look, Jaune," she spoke, gazing at the man sitting across from her. "I get it. I really do. But... _Fucking hell! You have the worst timing!"_  
  
"We both lost Pyrrah and Weiss on the last world," Jaune griped, crossing his arms. "It only makes sense that we'd-"  
  
 **"No!"** Ruby shook her head, and stood from the table in the Daedalus' cafeteria. "Look. I get it. You're mourning. I'm mourning too. Doesn't make it right to get drunk and have a fucking one night stand just because you can't stand to mourn alone. I'm sorry, Jaune, but I can't do that. **Not tonight. _Not so soon._** We all have our own different ways of grieving. This is mine. The answer's **no."**  
  
And with that, she stormed out of the room, ignoring how Jaune called out after her.  
  
She stormed down the hallways until she came to an observation window- through which the rolling waves of a Hyperspace window drew past.  
  
She leaned up against the railing- took in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.  
  
"Your name is Lieutenant Ruby Branwen," she narrates to herself. "You've just lost a teammate, a partner, a soul mate... and now probably just alienated a friend who could use your help in mourning but has the stupidest idea ever of how to go about it." She shakes her head. "What are you even doing here, Ruby?"  
  
"Second Person narrative, hm, Lieutenant?" And then another figure steps up beside her.  
  
"Oh! Colonel Ozma!" Ruby stood to attention. "Sorry, I was just-"  
  
"It's fine, I understand the grieving process," the Commander of the Daedalus raised his hand and gave a kindly smile. "I just found it an interesting choice of self narrative."  
  
Ruby frowned, considering it for a moment, then said, "It just felt right, Sir."  
  
"I suppose it would," The Colonel nodded. "We'll be landing at our next destination soon. After that, it's smooth sailing on to Pegasus."  
  
"Are you sure about that, Sir?" Ruby asked. "The Link Drive's dropped us into only the Maker knows how many parallel dimensions as it is."  
  
"Doctor Velvet assures me she has but a few adjustments to make to the jump drive," Ozma states. "We Will Arrive At Our Destination."  
  


* * *

  
  
The sound of shrieking and the roaring of the Audience brings you back to the present moment. Your whole insides feel... unstable.  
  
You peer down into the Arena Pit and... And... Oh. Oh God. Jaune. What are you doing to that poor girl!?  
  


* * *

  
  
 **FEBRUARY 2ND, 2016.**  
  
 **"Jaune!!"** Ruby yelled, yanking the man away from his victim. _**"What the fuck are you doing!?"**_  
  
 _"Get off me, Ruby!"_ The blonde snarled- baring teeth and fangs. "It's her fault we're stuck on this rock with that godforsaken werewolf magnet!"  
  
He tried to shove Ruby aside so he could get back to the cowering Doctor on the floor of the Engine Room, but she refused to move.  
  
Instead, with a surprising burst of strength, she shoved the blonde to the floor, and then drew her side arm- aiming it level at his face. "Stand Down, Major! That's an order!"  
  
"You don't out rank me!" Jaune yelled.  
  
"I may not, but you're CLEARLY out of line and under the influence of this Lycanthropy virus!" Ruby said, not wavering in her aim. " ** _So Get The FUCK Out_ of this Room or I will _SHOOT YOU DEAD."_**  
  
 ** _"FINE!"_** The man snarled, much more beast like than man like, and stormed out of the room.  
  
Ruby Branwen waited for him to leave, and then slammed and locked the doors shut with a few swift key strokes to the nearest console before she turned to the woman on the floor.  
  
"Hey, Velvet? Are you alright?" Ruby asks, checking on the girl who was normally so timid as a rabbit and would never hurt anybody intentionally.   
  
The Doctor was shell shocked, her eyes darting every which way, as if waiting for the enraged Major to come back to start something. ...Her arms and hands were covered in blood, as seen as she slowly raised them up with growing horror in her eyes.  
  
"...I..." She hiccuped. "I think this virus isn't just air-air b-borne, R-Ruby... _He- he scratched me!"_  
  
Ruby swallowed. "It doesn't matter. We'll fix this, Velvet." She glanced at the hyper drive controls, and narrowed her eyes in determination. "Just tell me what we need to do to get us to Atlantis."  
  
Velvet's eyes blinked- something getting through the shock of being nearly mauled by the turning Major. "...Colonel Ozma isn't taking us to Atlantis."  
  
"...He's not?" Ruby asked, shocked. "But- Why!? Where are we going!?"  
  
"I- I don't know, but..." She shook her head. "It was him changing the coordinates on us every time we've tried jumping that's set us off course. I just- I just realized it when Major Arc--"  
  
The Doctor convulsed- and it was quite evident that she was in pain from the expression on her face.   
  
"O-Oh god- My tailbone just-" She doesn't get a chance to finish the sentence. There's a jolt- and her face starts to shift away from humanoid.  
  
"Velvet, there's no time, _Tell me what I have to do!"_  
  


* * *

  
  
Jaune Arc roared as he stood, a bloodied mess, over the Lieutenant he'd just mauled savagely. He began posing for the roaring of the crowd.  
  
"Well well," Ozma laughed. "Color me surprised. The sacrifice is still alive." He clapped his hands, and Medics emerged from portals to retrieve Shinohara's still twitching body from where it lay. "We'll take a few moments to, ah, clean up the mess. In the mean time... we'll move our next two contestants into a cage together so they can share a few last private moments.  
  


* * *

  
  
 **FEBRUARY 3RD, 2016.**  
  
The bridge to the Daedalus was quiet this time of night on the planet- a stark contrast to the howling hoard of Werewolves that were outside the ship. A howling hoard that just kept growing by the hour.   
  
Only a few people left onboard the ship were still immune... If barely. Ruby could feel the wolf coursing through her blood like mad. Itching, waiting to be unleashed, and... and.,..  
  
It was a miracle that her minor exposure to what Jaune had done to Doctor Velvet had made it a slow and steady progression rather than the rapid onset pace that she'd seen elsewhere.  
  
She began systematically searching the bridge for the Black Boxes- only for the sound of footsteps approaching to cause her to hide.  
  
Colonel Ozma entered the bridge- with the damned Werewolf Magnet in hand. Why was he--??

"Secure the Black Boxes, and have them beamed out into space the moment we arrive into the next dimension," Ozma ordered. "Can't have scavengers wondering after what we were caring, after all."  
  
And then Several Werewolves entered the bridge after him- in full obedience to the man wielding them like a... a...  
  
The wolf within her smelt something in the air.  
  
Something she'd missed before as a human.  
  
The wolf within Ruby raged.  
  
 _ **HOW DARE THEY.**_  
  
 _ **HOW DARE THEY BOW THEIR KNEE TO THAT MAN!?**_  
  
He wasn't even from HER DIMENSION AT ALL! His strain of Lycanthropy was vastly different from the one affecting her! It... It...!!!!  
  
It was of no surprise as Ruby's world turned red and she felt a brief burst of pain as her body transformed instantly.  
  
The look on Ozma's face showed that she'd caught him completely off guard.  
  
The Wolves under his control were quickly wounded, and forced to flee on their own- unknowingly soon to trap themselves inside of an elevator.  
  
And moments later, Ozma was forced to flee without the device in hand.  
  


* * *

  
  
Ruby groans awake, and you can't help but sigh in relief.  
  
"Ruby?" You are Kohiru Karren, and you shuffle over to check on the girl. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Memories are coming back," She groans. "How long was I out?"  
  
"About six or seven minutes," you answer, helping the D'ni girl to sit up.  
  
"Damn it." She muttered. "Shinohara?"  
  
"Mauled, but alive, barely," you spit out. _[Gray? How long until we go after these bitch ass wolves?]_  
  
 _[When you and Ruby are out in the stands. That's when we'll make our move. The magic around the cage is already nearly weak enough we can break out,]_ Gray answered. _[Just sit tight for a bit longer.]_  
  
"Great," you mutter.  
  
 _[Ruby?]_ Gray asks. _[What do you remember?]_  
  
"Well. I'm a werewolf apparently, and didn't know it," Ruby answered quietly, aloud, and in the mind link chat, staring down at her hands. "I can feel it itching to get out again, now that I remember being one..." She closes her hands and eyes, and takes a deep breath. "But I'm not one of Ozma's. I never was. And now I know why my memories were jumbled so badly, too," She opens her eyes. "Let me show you what happened next."  
  
And then she SHOWED YOU HER REGAINED MEMORIES.  
  


* * *

  
  
 **FEBRUARY 4TH, 2016.**  
  
"Oh, Ruby, what have you gotten yourself into now?" The spectral voice of a dearly departed partner awoke the blood-red furred Werewolf who was guarding the Werewolf Magnet from her dreams.  
  
"...Weiss?" The girl inside the wolf asked, staring out from far and away deep within those wolf's eyes. "Is that you?"  
  
"Yes, no, it doesn't matter does it?" a flicker of light condensed in front of her into the form of a woman with long white hair, done up into a braid. Her clothing was impossible to see, made of light as it was. "I could be a figment of your imagination for all it counts."  
  
But she was real. A real Ascended Being who manifested then in front of her. Not that Ruby would realize that at all during this time.  
  
"I missed you," Ruby whined, mentally, and as the wolf.  
  
"I know, I've missed you too," The woman knelt down and put her hands against the sides of the wolf's head. "But you have a job to do, Ruby. A mission to finish. Velvet told you what to do, remember?"  
  
Ruby gazed down at the device in her claws, and she remembered.  
  
"I remember," she nodded.   
  
"Good." Weiss leaned in, and kissed her partner on the snout.  
  
With a flicker of form, the Werewolf was back to being Ruby Branwen, and not a Werewolf. She stretched out, clad in the tattered remains of her uniform, and grimaced. "Ugh... That transformation really does a number in on the clothing, doesn't it?"  
  
"Yes, it does," Weiss chuckled. "Nothing I haven't seen before, though! Heh... Still." She frowned, musing. "You'll need armor. And life support."  
  
"Yeah," Ruby nods. "I'm going to have to vent the atmosphere for the entire ship once we're in space."  
  
And so they went to the Suit Armory- and Ruby quickly removed her torn uniform for the power and protection of a Maintainers Suit.  
  
As Ruby hesitated to put on the Helmet, she looked to Weiss once more. "Are... Are you sure you're not real and not not a figment of my imagination?"  
  
Weiss giggled. "It doesn't matter either way, Ruby. You have a job to finish."  
  
Ruby sighed. "I know, I know..."  
  
She put on the helmet.  
  
Weiss vanished from sight, but her voice remained.  
  
"Come on, Branwen, let's kick that Colonel to the curb for what he did to our crew," Weiss's voice sounded as if it came over the radio now, even though it was still as clear as day.  
  
"Hallucination Weiss, I love it when you speak my language!" Ruby grinned beneath her helmet, and set out for the Engine Room.  
  


* * *

  
  
She arrived without hassle, and began priming the controls for the engines to rev up the Link Drive and JUMP to another reality.  
  
"Ah, crap, it wants coordinates," Ruby swore. "Ugh, what was it Velvet said again? 5G-4T7 something or 5G-47T something?"  
  
"Four Seven T," Weiss said, quoting the Doctor directly, and not knowing she'd slurred out the wrong first three digits of the number sequence in a fit of transformation induced pain.  
  
"Right, Right," Ruby began punching in the code as Weiss narrated it off.  
  
It would have been correct if not for those first three digits being swapped around. An ALT instead of an ATL, as it were. A common mistake anyone could make in typography, really...  
  
The Drive began to power on.  
  
And then...  
  
The Daedalus JUMPED, and it wound up in a rapidly decaying orbit near a moon.  
  
The crash that ensued sent everything tumbling, and caused the Dimensional Linking Drive to rupture something fierce.  
  
"Ruby! Ruby!!" Weiss called out, trying to get her friend to awaken again, dazed from tumbling in the jump and hitting her helmeted head against a piece of equipment. The helmet was as good as jammed. "Oh Wake Up you lovable idiot! Come on!"  
  
But she wasn't waking up, and Ozma stumbled into the Engine room, snarling, hair disheveled, and looking ready to tear up even a child with his bare claws.  
  
He spotted the Werewolf Magnet device on the floor, and laughed. "All of that... For nothing!"  
  
He made to move for the device.  
  
Weiss made her move instead. "I'm sorry, Ruby, but I need to borrow your body!"  
  
And then the body awoke under the control of a different mind.   
  
The fight that ensued was rapid, intense, and it wound up with a choice piece of dialogue being uttered.  
  
"What are you doing, Lieutenant Branwen!?" Ozma growled. "GIVE ME THE AMULET!"   
  
Weiss answered for her partner with her partner's voice, "I am doing what needs to be done!"  
  
And then she flung the Werewolf magnet into a rift in the engine room.  
  
Ozma roared, and leaped after it... and moments later- the rift suddenly changed to a completely different setting.  
  
What happened next was something of a hybrid act, With Weiss guiding Ruby's body to perform the actions that needed to be done while editing her partner's barely conscious memories of the event to go in a vastly different direction. She had to erase her interference. She couldn't let it be known what she'd done to alter the course of history or the OTHERS would intervene.  
  
She removed the Black Boxes and beamed them into space.  
  
Then, knowing that some day, someone would come to find this ship, she set everything into low power, and rigged the Asgard transporters to store Ruby Branwen in stasis until the day came that she would be found and retrieved.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are once more Ruby Branwen, still barely in control over the wolf itching to escape and FIND YOUR PARTNER, but... you feel so vaguely... WHOLE again?  
  
Weiss... somehow when she got left behind, she... she...?  
  
 _[Ascended,]_ Gray filled in the term. _[She Ascended. She Ascended and followed you through who knows how many dimensions just to help you stop things in the end.]_  
  
 _[If she's still around, I want to shake her hand,]_ Karren stated. "God... that's just..."  
  
 _[Romantic?]_ Gray offers.  
  
"I was going to say stubborn, but that works too," Karren offered.   
  
You can't help but laugh.  
  
And... and the Wolf feels settled as you laugh.  
  
YOU feel settled.  
  
Oh, sure, you're ready and raring to rip into Ozma and give him what's coming but-   
  
You feel IN CONTROL.  
  
"Alright," you get to your feet. "Let's show 'Colonel' Ozma why I should have his Rank instead!"  
  
"You got it," Karren grins, a savage, savage grin.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are now Artoria Gray, and as the magic around the cage fails- the metal spikes flash crimson as cracks run through their surface, and then shatter into tiny, charcoal like pieces.   
  
"Let's get going," Aradia takes the lead.   
  
_[Ruby, Karren, we're on the move,]_ you tell them.  
  
 _[Okay, we're just being taken out into the arena now,]_ Karren answers.  
  
 _[Good luck!]_ you send.  
  
"Medea should have left our gear near here," Aradia says as she looks around for the spot you told them about through your original psychic communication ability, and not the version that's working through the bond you have with the others.  
  
"Right there," You point at a hollow in a tree, and within moments, you find your pilfered clothing and gear, including your Sylladexes.  
  


* * *

  
  
 **"AND NOW FOR THE MAIN EVENT!"** Ozma roars to the crowd. **_"FRIEND VERSUS FRIEND! ALTERNIAN TROLL VERSUS SAVAGE WEREWOLF!"_**  
  
Your name is Kohiru Karren, and you glance at Ruby as she takes off her clothes and starts to transform. It'd be a beautiful process if taken in isolation, but under these circumstances...  
  
You'll have to appreciate the beauty of such a thing later. When you're not dealing with shit like surviving the Hunting Grounds.  
  
Ozma scoffs, and even without him yelling, you can hear him gripe, "Well, it looks like Medea's memory hack worked after all."   
  
He shouts, _**"NOW THEN! LET'S PUT THE TIMER ON THE CLOCK AND... BEGIN!"**_  
  
Five dots appear in the sky, and Ruby doesn't attack you. Instead, she just sits down on the ground and raises a leg to scratch behind one ear with her foot like your average Wolf Lusus.  
  
Ozma doesn't like it- **"FIGHT, DAMN YOU!** _ **WHERE IS THAT SAVAGE SPEED FROM BEFORE!?"**_  
  
"You want speed, eh?" you ask- and burst into a run.  
  
Finally- for the first time since you arrived in this damned dimension, the magic that was suppressing your speed powers is released.  
  
You hit the edge of the arena in seconds, and start running along the walls.  
  
If you had Rhubee's fancy petal effects, you'd imagine you'd be leaving a massive trail everywhere behind you, streaking along as you go.  
  
But Nah. You're fine being such a fast speedster nobody sees you coming.  
  
Well, almost nobody.  
  
 **[RUBY, NOW!]** you abruptly change directions by jumping off the wall straight at your partner in this fight who launches into the air to meet you.  
  
She holds up her clawed hands near her chest, and you flip around so your feet line up to match...  
  
You'd like to imagine that a SWEET CATCH text popup flashed above and blow you as Ruby caught you by the feet, and then THROWS YOU UP UP AND AWAY from herself- throws you straight for that bastard Ozma.  
  
You flip around in midair- and catch a handy dandy slow-mo look of shock on the bastards face as you come flying in feet first to crash into his center of mass and--- _BOOP!_ Off the platform he goes, flying down into the arena as you transfer almost all of your momentum into him.  
  
Time resumes its regular flow as you land atop Ozma's platform- and everything is silent as the man hits the ground with a loud grunt.  
  
Then, the Audience ROARS in applause- they didn't see that coming, not one bit.  
  
 **AND YOU DON'T STOP** for longer than it takes that second to process, and re-align your course.  
  
You **TAKE OFF AT A RUN** , and RACE down the long stone arm of the observation platform.  
  
You trust Ruby to hold the bastard off, and maybe even finish the job this time.  
  
But, that doesn't matter, at the very least. You have your own job to finish and that's FINDING the damned RIFT that leads back to your dimension.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are now Ruby Branwen, and Ozma roared- transforming into his own wolf form before you could land a blow on him.  
  
He starts to evade your blows- he's not leaving much to chance this time around.  
  
He's not even bothering to snarl any coherent words at you! What a rip off!  
  
You don't bother giving him the luxury either, then!  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Aradia Megido, and Medea steps out of a rift as your team finishes gearing up, for the most part. Yuuki and Touya are still stuck in wolf form, after all, so someone captchalogues their gear for them.  
  
"You must hurry," she begins speaking to Gray. "There is not much time. I think Ozma suspected you might betray him. He's sent men to the Daedalus to secure the portal back to your world. You need to take Rule Breaker and head to the Ritual Site and activate the spell I showed you before it's too late."  
  
"Alright," Gray says, accepting the blade as Medea hands it over out of thin air. "We'll do that. What about you?"  
  
"I'm going to the source of all of this," Medea had a determined look in her eyes. "I'm going to confront Hircine and probably die trying, so I'm counting on you to Perform That Ritual."  
  
And with that, she steps through a portal, and vanishes.

Gray glances down at the gleaming blade of RULE BREAKER in hand. She shudders, and then grins as she orders, "Let's go."  
  
"Right behind you," you nod in agreement.  
  


* * *

  
  
Damn it, Damn it, Damn it! You just can't get a break! Ozma's spent the last year or so in this dimension training- you can tell! He's just slightly faster than you! You can't catch a break!  
  
 _[I wish I had something to give me an edge!]_ you snarl into the link.  
  
 _[I think I've got the thing!]_ Gray says, and then--  
  
Ooooh. You feel all tingly as you get the mental equivalent of a GROUP POWER UP.  
  
You hop back and away from Ozma for a few breaths of room, and grab behind you as if you were drawing a knife.  
  
Sure enough, RULE BREAKER manifests inside your grip while ALSO being held in Gray's grip.  
  
Ozma hesitates- and for the first time since transforming, speaks, _"[Where Did You Get That!?]"_  
  
 ** _"[Wouldn't You Like To Know!]"_** you counter, and lunge with a swing as you push the knife to give you an edge in speed and strength. **"[RULE BREAKER!!!]"**  
  


* * *

  
  
You're Kohiru Karren once more, and you slide to a halt for two reasons.  
  
One, That JAUNE wolf guy is standing guard outside of the Daedalus's entry hatch.  
  
Two, You JUST got that Tingly Vibe too, and really, just in time.  
  
"You're not getting back to your world, Troll," Jaune declares. "Even if you could speed past us, you've got no way of taking us down without a weapon."  
  
"Heh, funny thing about that." You reach back for the combat knife you usually have on you, and draw RULE BREAKER instead. "Who said I was Unarmed?" You ask, before speeding at them, ready to deal some damage.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Rhubee Xaolon, and you wake up in the middle of the night to a weird tingly sensation, and Gray's voice returning to your mind. [ _Rhubee! Get the Lancer Ready! NOW! And Bring a Co-Pilot! I need two more anchor points from the City of Atlantis to make this work!]_  
  
 _[G-Got it!]_ You rush out of bed, quickly captchalogue-changing clothes into your flight suit, and rush for the Jumper Bay with SPEED.  
  


* * *

  
  
 _[Karren?? What the hell is going on?]_ Rhubee's voice interjects, and GOD, if you weren't already glad enough to have an impossible magic knife to hear your long time partner's voice.  
  
 _[Oh, nothing much,]_ you casually flick some blood off of the knife, before rushing away from the pile of bodies you just put into the ground. _[Just doing some paradoxical house cleaning, like always, it seems!]_  
  
 _[I just ran into Argo Lalonde while trying to get the Lancers online,]_ Rhubee says. _[Should I draft them to synch with me as a Co-Pilot?]_  
  
 _[Gray? Is that safe?]_ you ask as you blur into the Daedalus' halls, and begin making your way for the engine room.  
  
 _[Should be!]_ Gray answers. _[Even if it isn't- No! YES! Yes, bring them. Argo'll do better than fine! They'll help me do my own damned ritual instead of Medea's!]_  
  
 _[We're not following Medea's plan?]_ You ask, rushing up an opened, and hollow elevator shaft.   
  
_[Like Hell I'm following her plan through to a T! If I did, she'd REMEMBER all of this, and I am NOT letting her know that her spell worked, or failed, or whatever! We're doing our own shit like we always do! **And that means I'm booting Medea out of her own spell!]**_  
  
You arrive in the engine room, and take out Rule Breaker. _[Alright, I'm here. Shall I begin the show?]_  
  


* * *

  
  
Ozma roared as Rule Breaker plunged deep into his chest and separated HIM and his WOLF FORM into two separate entities. Ozma himself, looking suddenly very ghastly pale and weaker than he did before, and a spectral werewolf form.  
  
"What the-?" Ozma barely managed to whimper out before there was an explosion in the heavens above you, and a massive, towering being who looks like a Were-Deer instead of a Were-Wolf falls from the heavens- pursued by a glowing ball of blue light that's rapidly absorbing vast chunks of the opponent into itself  
Hircine, you presume, is the giant deity being eaten, and Medea is likely the one doing the eating.  
  
Geeze, and you thought she was overpowered with Rule Breaker. But now she's trying to... to... The term MANTLING comes to mind for some damned reason.  
  
 _ **[YES, KARREN!]** _Gray yelled. _ **[START IT NOW BEFORE MEDEA MANTLES HIRCINE'S POWER!]**_  
  


* * *

  
  
"Here goes!" Karren jabs Rule Breaker into the Control Console. "[RULE BREAKER!]" [Portal's Opening NOW!]  
  


* * *

  
  
A rift in space time suddenly opened above the village on P96-237- and AR-1 and AR-9 turned their eyes upwards, gazing in shock at the celestial event that just transpired.  
  
"Well, that's not good," Sheppard remarked.  
  


* * *

  
  
Atlantis' Stargate connected to P96-237, and within the Ruby Lancer in the Jumper Bay, Rhubee cries out- _**[GATE'S OPEN!]**_  
  


* * *

  
  
At the ritual site Medea had prepared and hidden away, Artoria Gray spread her wings, holding RULE BREAKER to the heavens, and cried out- **_"[RULE BREAKER!]"_**  
  


* * *

  
  
 **VRRRRMMMMMSSSSHHHssshhhhsshhh....**  
  
And suddenly, the Ruby Lancer landed in a kneeling pose next to the Daedalus.  
  
Karren zipped inside, and the Mecha tore off at a running pace mere moments later.  
  
"Here!" Karren handed her Rule Breaker to a rather stunned Argo Lalonde, who took it in stride, and said:  
  
"Man, this is the craziest dream I've ever had!" Then, they laughed.  
  


* * *

  
  
The Lancer slid to a stop briefly near the ritual site, and Argo departed from it to fly down towards Gray, and Tagora's team.  
  
"What do you need me to do?" Argo asked.  
  
Gray smirked.  
  


* * *

  
  
Medea laughed as she finished the process of absorbing Hircine's might and began to grow in size, similarly starting to match the felled Deity in appearance as well.  
  
 _ **"Ahahah! Woooo! What a rush! Who needs the power to rewrite time when you can hunt and fell the Master of Hunt--"**_  
  
And then the Ruby Lancer's burning fist slammed into Medea's face, sending her sprawling into the mountain side.  
  


* * *

  
  
Aradia, Argo, and Gray held onto Gray's copy of Rule Breaker- the Original- and Gray channeled the might of the SPEAR that ENDS WORLDS within herself through the logic breaking weapon. Her wings spread out as she then channeled that power into the others.  
  
Argo's wing spread as they added their own power to the mix as well. Then, Aradia followed suit- her butterfly wings vibrating excitedly.  
  
All three of their eyes glowed golden- with crimson gears flashing into being in place of the irises- spinning not clockwise, but rather Counter Clockwise.  
  
And together, they shouted once more for show- **_"[RULE BREAKER!]"_**  
  


* * *

  
  
For a moment- Reality froze.  
  
The vast computational powers that be slowed to a grinding halt as a series of requests were made at a vastly higher priority than they should have been made with.  
  
A checklist was run through.  
  
Is the aftershocks of this choice enough to create a SPLINTER, DOOMED TIMELINE?  
  
NO: with a brief computational estimate, variables and key plot points were unchanged. Events would be proceeding similarly enough, and the Timeline would not split into doomed and undoomed realities.  
  
Is this choice enough to create a whole PARALLEL INSTANCE OF REALITY?  
  
Calculations ran: Were Medea to continue on her course in this reality, by Mantling Hircine... Would she properly become Hircine and her own goals would be merged with his, allowing both of their planned destinies to conclude?  
  
A brief simulation of the brawl between Medea and the Lancer played out- ending in Medea's defeat, and forced expulsion of Hircine's essence, allowing it to eventually reform in the original's image. The Mantling process would be subverted. Medea and Hircine would proceed as separate individuals and their plans would not be merging.  
  
The Answer, Then, was NO.  
  
Is this Event a DIVIDE BY ZERO INCIDENT?  
  
The calculations ran. But... it seemed the answer was NO. Because the calculations ran, and completed without throwing up error messages.  
  
The processed data was confirmed. In comparison of the recent TIME BREAK that Ba'al had created, it was nowhere near as severe, and, in fact, was practically a recorded phenomenon within the machinations of reality. The ANCIENTS had created a similar ADMINISTRATIVE TOOL in their experiments with TIME TRAVEL, when they created a TIME LOOP MACHINE many centuries in the past.   
  
The Users of the ADMINISTRATION TOOL: [RULE BREAKER] were requesting a restoration of the MOST RECENT UNIVERSAL BACKUP, with a CONTINUITY OF KNOWLEDGE being maintained across chosen individuals.   
  
This could be accomplished with ease.  
  
In addition, a TRANSFERAL OF OWNERSHIP was being requested by the TOOL, RULE BREAKER itself- no longer content to be held within Medea's grasp.   
  
Multiverse Stability was predicted to stabilize overall by 16.8% should the transferal be approved, and thus, it was.  
  
All of this happened within the span of a frozen second, and then...  
  
From a different perspective, it looked as if the section of string from a certain point was copied- becoming a discolored orange ghost of the rest of the green thread.  
  
The Backup was restored- and that copied section was suddenly all that remained.  
  
It was condensed down into information packets, and slotted into place at the exact moment of Backup Restoration, providing the Experimental Variable requested to alter the day's events.  
  
In the process, Rule Breaker was placed on a FUNCTION REQUEST COOL DOWN- a request of this nature would not be allowed to transpire for another 618 YEARS of In Universe Time.  
  


* * *

  
  
 **EARTH DATE: AUGUST 26TH, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 03/07/0007.**  
  
"Jaune Arc?" Your name is Ruby Branwen, and the name fills your heart with sorrow. "He's worse than dead."  
  
"And you're sure about that?" Argo Lalonde asks.   
  
"I'm as sure as I can be," you answer. "He was one of the crew members left behind when they went Werewolf in a whole different dimension."  
  
"We're not... triggering this blatantly obvious trap, are we?" Your Alternian Twin asks.   
  
You, her, Karren, and Gray were resting in the gym after a work out when Argo arrived with this disturbing news.   
  
"There's a-" Argo suddenly trailed off.  
  
For a moment, you swear you saw orange glowing ghostly outlines of yourselves approaching, and then merging with---  
  
OH.  
  
And then the MEMORIES Returned.  
  
Rhubee grabbed at her head. You felt woozy. Gray whimpered, and Karren- Karren started to laugh?  
  
"Oh Fuck," Argo breathed out. "What the fuck just-? Did we actually just do that?"   
  
Gray holds out her hand, and a ghostly, paradoxical copy of RULE BREAKER flickered into existence. "Holy shit. I think we did!"  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Richard Woolsey, and you find yourself... conflicted, and feeling the most disconcerting DE JA VU you've ever felt in your entire life.  
  
You're sending a team into what could very well be a trap.  
  
Your mind reels as you recall the after action report of Hammond sending in whole SG-teams to rescue a team that was under fire. You'd called it walking into a deliberate trap then, even if it wasn't quite as cut and dry as you'd pretended back then.  
  
And here you are about to do the same damned thing early into your career.  
  
The gut instinct of everyone involved says that this could be a trap. Yet, it's not confirmed.  
  
What do y---  
  
The DE JA VU returns in full force like a sledge hammer to the back of your head- and your own voice yells out- "Don't Be An Idiot!!!"  
  
By the time you recover from the dazzling headache that comes with a whole slew of other memories inserting themselves into your head, Argo Lalonde has taken to the City's Intercom: _"This is Administrative Assistant Argo Lalonde Requesting Everyone who just got a major sense of De Ja Vu to report to me IMMEDIATELY. This is NOT A DRILL. We have a Time Loop Situation, I repeat, **Time Loop Situation. THIS IS NOT A DRILL!"**_  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Aradia Megido, and you feel... On edge as Medea taunts you from the other side of the cage.  
  
"Now, then," Medea drew her weirdly shaped knife with her right hand. "I do have some business to attend to and I'm not just here for chit-chat."  
  
"Whatever it is you intend to do with that knife, it's never going to work!" Touya began to posture. "We don't have any magic contracts for you to break!"  
  
"Oh, I think you'll find you're quite wrong about that," Medea smirked, and her knife began to glow as she intoned, "[Rule Breaker,]" and then continued on, "Now, then, it's time for me to make some thralls."  
  
...That doesn't feel right.  
  
"T-Thralls?" Yuuki backed away from the cage wall. "No way! You can't force us to serve you! Cu Sidhe Lycanthropy doesn't work that way!"  
  
"No, it doesn't," Medea 'tsk'd, and tapped the knife against her lips. "What it does do, however, is create two distinct physical makeups and switches between them magically, and what Rule Breaker will do to you is break that switch and force you into your wolf forms until I decide to release you."  
  
Something isn't right about this-- it's almost like you can feel...   
  
"You'll have to touch us to make that work!" Touya likewise backed away from the cage walls. "So come in here and try it!"  
  
Time just sort of...  
  
"Oh, dear, whatever shall I do with a too large cage?" Medea 'tsk'd again, and circled around the cage to approach the far wall away from the rest of you. She waved her free arm through the bars as if trying to grasp them, showing how futile it was for her to reach you...  
  
Slowing to a halt...??  
  
You see a flicker of orange light standing near Medea- another version of you, beckoning you over with her left hand, while gripping something tight in her right.  
  
You were just about to think that if you had the time to cross the cage, you would...  
  
And you DO.  
  
You stand, ready to grasp Medea's arm, and then the other you MERGES and Time RESUMES.  
  
You GRAB Medea's arm and wrench it to the side- she shrieks in surprise and drops Rule Breaker as if shocked by it.  
  
The Knife doesn't land on the ground, however. It doesn't land at all.  
  
Somehow, even despite your arms never moving as you pin and wrench Medea's arm back against yourself and the cell spike walls, the blade winds up in your right hand instead.  
  
Almost... _Almost as if it'd never left._  
  
The Memories come back to you then as instinct guides you to shift your right arm's grasp and JAB the damned knife's blade into Medea's left shoulder- _**"[RULE BREAKER!!]"**_ You yell- and that's when things get weird.  
  
Weird how?  
  
Weird as in there's a massive explosion of magic that erupts straight out of the wound instead of blood- all glowing blue, almost liquidized, pure Zillyum- spraying out and-- And--  
  
And the Cage bars suddenly explode into nothing behind you as you yank the blade out and FLIP-SLAM Medea into the ground.  
  
She lies there, groaning in pain, and you look to your teammates- who are suddenly wearing their gear again- or are putting it back on in the case of Touya and Yuuki.  
  
"Woah, how the hell did you pull that off, Megido?" Tagora asks- shocked. "Also- Where did your outfit come from!?"  
  
You check yourself- and find that yes, you too are wearing your gear again.  
  
"I think we broke the rules, a little," you giggle, twirling Rule Breaker around as easy as if it were an extension of yourself, and grin. "Now let's go to the Daedalus and **_Fuck Some Shit Up!"_**  
  
Nobody argues as you lead the way to the Daedalus by flapping your wings and taking flight.  
  
Well, nobody except Tagora, who has to hitch a ride with Touya because he doesn't have his own wings!  
  


* * *

  
  
Ozma clutched at his heart as he felt something go horribly, bizarrely wrong. _It was almost like he'd just been stabbed._ But... How??  
  
Medea. She must have betrayed him!!  
  
And so he lead a group to the cage, ready to destroy her, only to find that Medea was lying where the cage should have been, looking like SHE'D been stabbed as well.  
  
Maybe she hadn't betrayed him and the prisoners had gotten the upper hand somehow?  
  
"Guards!" He orders, "Go to the Deadalus and secure the Portal! We must not allow the Prisoners to escape back to their dimension!"  
  
And thus done, he went to check on Medea, who had her eyes closed and seemed to be breathing shallowly.  
  
"Medea, what happened?" He asked, kneeling down, and raising her head and upper torso up to get a better look at her wounds.  
  
"They... Took Rule Breaker." She hissed. "I don't know how..."  
  
"Damn it," Ozma swore. "Not Rule Breaker, not the key to-"  
  
And then he felt that phantom stabbing pain again, except much sharper, and not so phantom, and much more... More...  
  
Longer??  
  
Ozma glanced down at his chest, and saw a fucking SWORD burried there and very likely was piercing clear through to his back. The sword's grip was held firmly my Medea's right hand, and it seemed to be made up out of the last vestiges of Magic she had in her system, from how it flickered and pulsed and leaked magic out of every inch of its visible surface.  
  
"...Wh-" Ozma watched as the blade flickered away, and he fell onto his back. His heart had been cleanly struck, and he could feel it not working. "Wh--"  
  
"Oh shut up," Medea huffed, pushing herself to her feet, and placing her right hand firmly against her wounded shoulder. "We both knew we were going to betray eachother eventually anyways. What good am I to you without Rule Breaker? Dead Meat, that's what. Don't act surprised."  
  
And then with a angry huff she reared a leg back and kicked Ozma squarely between the legs, making his last few labored breaths those of intense pain.  
  
"And THAT'S for making me wear this stupid robe the entire time I've been here," She spat onto his soon-to-be-corpse before stomping away. As she did so, she continued to loudly complain, "Stupid, fucking, skin obsessed Werewolves! I swear, there's a line between intentionally, personally empowering sexy, and insulting, forced, and--!"  
  
Ozma heard nothing more as his long prolonged death finally caught up with him.  
  


* * *

  
  
Jaune Arc stumbled as if he had been cut rapidly in every vital and exposed joint by a speeding rabbit, and thus, he was in no position to do anything as Yuuki Kono slammed a tree branch against the back of his head like it was the broad side of a sword- sending the Major Bitch of a Werewolf to the ground, unconscious.  
  
"Grudge, much?" Touya asked.  
  
"I recognized his scent," Yuuki answered. "That was the jerk who attacked Keiko and left her poisoned to the point I had to turn her into a Werewolf just to let her survive."  
  
"Oh, gotcha," Touya nodded, and then wound up a kick to hit the guy in the side. "That's some payback for that! **Too!** _I guess!_ "  
  
"Yeah!" Minori nodded in agreement, and with that, they entered the Daedalus, making their way to the Engine Room slowly and deliberately.  
  
Aradia slashed Rule Breaker against every available door control after closing them behind the team, ensuring that those Doors would not open easily any time within the next several hours.  
  
Finally, they arrived in the Engine Room, and Aradia used Rule Breaker to power on the rift generator.  
  
The first vestiges of a rift began to form, and a radio signal came through.  
  
 _"Diplomat team, this is AR-1, please respond?"_ John Sheppard's voice spoke.  
  
"AR-1, this is Diplomat team," Aradia grinned. "We're opening a very large rift and are about to jump through it to safety."  
  
 _"Roger that, we'll hold our fire until you're through,"_ Sheppard acknowledged.  
  
"Hold your fire?" Minori asked.  
  
 _"You'll see,"_ Sheppard answered.  
  
And then a rift opened in the room below them- showing the abandoned village of that stupid forest planet once more, and nothing more.  
  
Tagora hitched a ride with Touya once more, and they all flew through the rift.  
  
Surprisingly, they were VERY high up off the ground.   
  
Unsurprisingly, they landed in the back of a cloaked Jumper moments later.  
  
"That everyone?" Ruby Branwen asked from the front of that jumper.  
  
"Yeah, that's everyone!" Tagora nodded.  
  
"John, we're pulling clear- take aim and let it rip!" Ruby ordered.  
  
Everyone turned back to look at the rift as a Jumper decloaked and opened fire with several drones straight through the rift into the heart of the alternate Daedalus' Engine Room.  
  


* * *

  
  
Medea stopped her hike through the forests of the Hunting Ground as her destination- the BC-304 atop the Plateau Mesa- suddenly exploded from its engineering section.  
  
And then the explosions rocked through the rest of the ship- destroying it entirely.   
  
Medea stared, and then laughed.  
  
"Fuck it. So much for escaping THAT way," she sighed, and drew upon the last vestiges of magical and soul based power she had inside her body that HADN'T just been forcibly expelled by Rule Breaker.  
  
It was the Dimensional Teleportation Magic she'd stolen from Aiden Ford.  
  
There wasn't much left. She'd get one, maybe two jumps left out of it if she were lucky. And there was no telling if she'd land where she wanted to...  
  
...But she had no choice.  
  
"Well, I guess it's a leap of faith then, huh?" She closed her eyes, focused on the first place she'd landed when she arrived in the Pegasus Galaxy...   
  
And Warped away with a flicker of static.  
  


* * *

  
Within a storage Warehouse, somewhere in the City of Atlantis, Gray, Ruby, Karren, and Rhubee held forwards their temporal clones of Rule Breaker. Aradia held forth her stolen version of Rule Breaker, and Argo likewise held forth their own static copy of the weapon.  
  
When the tips of the knives touched, there was a flash of green and orange light, and what was left behind was a singular knife, held in Gray's hand.  
  
"I guess that makes me its new owner," Gray sighed.  
  
"Suppose it does," Aradia nodded in agreement.  
  
"Well, at any rate," Argo shook their head. "Let's put that thing on ice before Medea comes looking for it again."  
  
And so Gray approached a D'ni Stone Extruder, and placed Rule Breaker in a form at the base of the extruders', well, extruder.   
  
With a few swift pushes of a button, the hardest Rock-Metal substance known to all of D'ni culture, NARA, poured forth and into the form- glowing red hot golden as it filled the mold, consuming Rule Breaker, and then began to solidify rapidly as the mineral cooled- steam rising into the air.  
  
When it had finished, all that was left was a large golden-bronze brick that now served as the Prison for an extremely dangerous artifact.  
  
After a few tense moments of prying the brick free from its form, Gray lifted it free and stared at her reflection within the rock's shiny surface...  
  
"I think I could link it free if I absolutely needed to," Gray said after several long moments of soul searching. And then she captchalogued the stone brick, and sighed. "Let's hope I don't ever have to."  
  
"Amen to that!" Ruby rolled her shoulders out. "Man, that was the longest not-day that I've ever lived. And that's INCLUDING all the shit we went through with Ba'als stupid timeline."  
  
"Speaking of," Rhubee placed a hand on her human twin's shoulder. "You going to be okay about...?"  
  
"Yeah," Ruby nods. "Weiss is out there somewhere. I'll find her eventually."  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Argo Lalonde, and you slump into your desk chair with a tired sigh. "Man. Today was WEIRD."  
  
"Tell me about it," Woolsey remarks from the director's chair. "How exactly does one phrase 'I made my decision to commit Two Puddle Jumpers based off of memories of a failed rescue mission gained from a doomed timeline' in a way that doesn't make them sound crazy?"  
  
You wryly chuckle, and quote a certain then Colonel O'neill, "If at first you don't succeed. Try, try, try... Try, Try Try... _Try Try TRY again."_  
  
Woolsey smirks. "Fair enough, I suppose. We don't exactly have to tell the IOA how many tries it actually took to prevent calamity, after all."  
  
"Oh, for sure," you nod. "That's... Yeah. It's safe to say we give ourselves way more wriggle room than we expect we actually need the next time something like this comes up. We're lucky it went off right the first time."  
  
"Indeed," Woolsey resumes his work- or, well, pauses just before he does. "But damn it, I get the feeling I'm going to be thinking its a day earlier than it was for a long while."  
  
"Time loops, even short ones, suck like that," you say. Then, you have to ask. "So... Are we telling the IOA we got Rule Breaker, or-?"  
  
"No, best to let them think that it was Destroyed, much like they continue to think the Alternia Twilight Bracelet doesn't exist in a solid form anywhere else in the Multiverse," Woolsey says.  
  
You laugh, dryly. "Yeah. Real shame, that."   
  
You don't want to think about what would happen if the IOA decided to chase after the UNENDING in their unending greed.  
  
...Man, you miss the days they were idle and willing to let things slide without confrontation.  
  
"Politics suck," you finally say.  
  
Woolsey scoffs, "Tell me about it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Behold, Ruby's forgotten memories! And behold another RWBY transplant, of sorts. Weiss Schnee- who Ascended instead of going werewolf- helped Ruby pull off what she did on the Daedalus, thus explaining most of Ruby's scrambled memories from that incident. A few others got scrambled simply because of being in a partially unconscious state at the time.
> 
> Ruby's Lycanthropy also similarly got suppressed by Weiss to the point she couldn't even be forcibly transformed. It seemed weird that she wasn't atleast infected, right? When the whole crew suffered from it?  
> \---  
> This whole rewind time section was heavily inspired by Aradia's Pesterquest route. 
> 
> Be advised I do NOT plan on doing anything that crazy ever again. Rule Breaker is powerful, possibly even TOO powerful. Power like that has to be used sparingly.
> 
> Thus, Rule Breaker is encased in NARA, hardest D'ni metal-rock substance around.  
> \---  
> Ozma is D----EAD. Just death all the way through, were he God Tier. Medea escapes to fight another day, though wounded. 
> 
> That said, this isn't the end of this little sub arc. There are still a few other movers and shakers involved yet to be revealed. 
> 
> Ozma was just the puppet.  
> \---  
> Next Chapter:  
> INTERMISSION: You've Got Mail!  
> \---
> 
> So, Cliffhanger resolved? For now.


	8. INTERMISSION: You've Got Mail!

**SUBJ: Greetings, From Pegasus.**  
  
 **TO: GenGHam@SGC.ORG**  
  
 **FROM: RWoolsey@LantisExp.ORG**  
  
Hello, General Hammond.   
  
Yes, I know you're retired now, but the simple fact of the matter is that you requested I give you a phone call should I one day find myself in your shoes.  
  
Unfortunately, the long distance charges from the Pegasus Galaxy are something exorbitant even for myself, and I would rather spare you the change in exchange for... an Email.   
  
Just today. I found myself in the position you found yourself in all those years ago, except somewhat... different. To keep it sufficiently short, I made a bad decision, and then had an opportunity to do it over again.   
  
I'm finding that Leading is not as easy as many in the IOA believe it is. I was faced with the confrontation of the fact that within my first few months as leader of the Atlantis Expedition, I could potentially be removed for the same reasons I attempted to remove you from the head of the SGC. That is to say, I had the unfortunate dilemma of choosing whether to send full on squads of rescue teams along with accompanying armaments, or simply sending another Diplomat team as the suspected kidnapped team had requested.   
  
I feared that I would do the wrong thing by emulating your footsteps, and be removed from a position I didn't even want to be placed in, and I found out that it was indeed the wrong move to make. My actions allowed another team to be captured, and for a member of the Apollo's crew to be viciously mauled by a werewolf. if not for their escape and formulation of their own plan to save the day on the spot... We would be having a vastly different conversation.  
  
They found a way to reset time, by a few hours- and carry with them memories of the future events. In the process, they chose to let the entirety of the Atlantis Expedition remember the day that had just been erased, while preventing anyone else from remembering. (Well, every member save for the poor Lieutenant who was mauled. I'm told that her memories of the day did not carry over. A small blessing if ever there was any.)   
  
In their doing so, I was able to make a different choice, and that lead to the successful destruction of a portal generator between dimensions that could have allowed an army of Werewolves controlled by some unknown, apparently cosmic deity to enter our dimension and attempt to rule over it with an iron clawed fist.   
  
I don't have anything else to really say on the matter except that I've walked both my path and yours, and I've found that I'm reconsidering my stance on that day.  
  
Despite how everything transpired since then, and my own moral compass has generally not wavered in the slightest... I've a newfound respect for the enormous weight you had on your shoulders that day.   
  
And I'm sorry to say I think I finally understand why you all felt that I acted much like a well and truly blind fool that day.   
  
For that, I'm sorry. I'm well and truly sorry. If I ever find myself in that position again... I believe I know how I must act, and I doubt it will ever be as cowardly as I believed my own actions were that day.   
  
I suppose that's enough of your time spent reading this. I'll let you get back to your retirement, now, Sir.  
  
_Richard Woolsey.

* * *

  
  
 **SUBJ: RE: Greetings, From Pegasus.**  
  
 **TO: RWoolsey@LantisExp.ORG**  
  
 **FROM: GenGHam@SGC.ORG**  
  
Mr. Woolsey.  
  
When I'd heard you were being posted to Pegasus from Samantha Carter, I had a feeling this day would come sooner rather than later.   
  
Apology Accepted.  
  
I'm sorry that you had to go through a choice of that nature so soon into your tenure as head of Atlantis. Leading anything, let alone any project involving the Stargate, can be a difficult task. And when the matter of lives are brought into play as a factor... It is not an easy weight to bear, and even to this day, I still have nightmares of the what ifs. What if Janet had died? What if Jack had died? What if, and what if?   
  
The regrets are part of the job, I'm afraid. But we learn from them, and I get the impression this is a lesson you'll remember for quite a long time.  
  
If you need advice on any situations you feel unable to handle, do not hesitate to send me an email. I get the feeling that you'll need what advice I can give in however long of a span of time as I'll be able to give it to you.  
  
Whether that's because one of us outlasts the other, I'll leave that up to God's roll of the dice.   
  
_George

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter: ALT:10x10: Blues are calling, Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs  
> \---  
> Not much to say here, except that this is the exchange that's been in the wait since Woolsey and Hammond first confronted eachother back in Heroes.
> 
> Puns I'm particularly proud of: The "@(AT)LantisExp.ORG" handle on Woolsey's email. 
> 
> You'll also notice the SGC.ORG handle rather than a SGC.GOV, signifying some background changes internally slowly moving the SGC into a non Military position. And no, it's not because I was afraid to use a SGC.GOV handle. C'mon. 
> 
> Though, why does Hammond have a newer SGC.ORG email? Easy: Jack set it up for him so they can discuss secure and still slightly classified things every now and then.


	9. ALT:10x10: Blues are calling, Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Fraiser is What the Reference)

**_[PREVIOUSLY ON STARGATE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQx-H2av1PM):_ **

* * *

_"Callie, Mierfa, Xefros, I want you three looking up people we might have some reason to rescue from being culled in the ancient past." Okurii ordered._   
_\---_   
_"YOU CAN'T HAVE THAT BRACELET. YOU'RE NOT ALTERNIAN." The Voice of whatever ENGLISH really is growls at you. "THAT. IS NOT YOURS. THIEF. GIVE IT BACK. TO ME. GIVE IT NOW. INTERLOPER. THIEF. USURPER."_

_"That's really funny you say that. Because even the Bracelet sure seems to think I'm the new Heiress," Joey answers, narrowing her eyes._   
_\---_   
_The whirling vortex of a Stargate Wormhole stretches out into infinity as a solar flare intersects it, causing the wormhole to bend backwards and return towards the planet it had originated from- HAVEN._   
_\---_   
_The GRAND CARNIVAL of THRASHBURG was, at this point in time, going to be home to the GRUESOME MURDERS of some REBEL SCUM who had been captured by the LOCAL HIGHBLOODS._

_It was to be a SPECTACLE- one held as the SUN ROSE. Which would claim the Rebel's lives FIRST? The SUN, or an EXECUTIONER'S AX?_

_If everything went according to the SUMMONER'S plan... neither._

_But that's not how history recorded it. While a lot of the Rebels were rescued, a FEW CERTAIN ONES were murdered, and it's those certain ones who you and yours are here to rescue._

_Your name is JOEY CLAIRE, and you're about to help launch a PRISON BREAK._   
_\---_   
_There's a momentary flash of light as your perspective is suddenly yanked out of reality, and so is the Heiress's, and you both sort of find yourselves floating in a blank, empty expanse with a vaguely grey hue to it._

_"..." You stare at the Heiress, Reenah._

_"..." And she stares right back at you._

_Your two versions of the Bracelet in the mean time float in the gap between you, orbiting each other and trading off information between the two of them._

_Then, with a flash of light again, the two bracelets return to your respective wrists, and you receive a small burst of data from your version of the Bracelet._

_Apparently this was a temporally locked moment that was always going to happen- your version of Administration just chose not to tell you it was going to happen until it actually happened. Yet another Stable Time Loop closed._

_The Heiress, likewise, got her own info dump, which possibly includes a WHOLE of a lot more than you got._

_"...What the fuck?" She says, finally speaking. "You're from the future!?"_   
_\---_   
_Then, Reenah speaks, "Can I tell you something personal?" She asks. "Like, in confidence? Heiress to Heiress?"_

_"Not really a heiress," you say. "My blood's red, not pink."_

_"You're wearing the Bracelet, aren't ya?" Reenah says more than asks._

_"Okay, yeah," you agree. "Fair enough. Go ahead."_

_"...I'm not supposed to be here," she says. "Not even in this whole Rebellion thing. Not even supposed to be alive."_

_"History says otherwise," you say._

_"Well, sure," she says, "but... that's not what I mean." There's a moment's pause, then she says, "I'm not really Reenah Kraken."_   
_\---_   
_Your name is CALLIE OHPHEE, and you feel so NERVOUS as you watch as the MATTER STREAM descend from the Green Moon._

_The Ring Platform activates, and as the rings rush upwards, the beam descends into it._

_Then, the terrifying visage of EMPRESS MEENAH appears, and as the rings descend back into the floor, she readies her TRIDENT._

_Reenah readies her own trident as well, as all go silent, waiting to see what happens next._   
_\---_   
_The Empress has the Heiress on the ground- weaponless and soon to be culled._

_"Any last words, GUPPY?" Meenah asks, glaring at the girl beneath her._

_"Yeah, I got some," Reenah smirks. "But I gotta wait for just the right moment to use them. Gotta savor the moment, ya know?"_

_"...What?" Meenah asks, when suddenly there's a distantly echoing BOOM._

_A MASSIVE FIREBALL erupts from the surface of the GREEN MOON, spiraling upwards and upwards, and generally looking like a massive MIDDLE FINGER towards propriety in general._

_"WHAT!!!?" Meenah roars- startled and confused and-_

_SNAP-HISS!!_

_Suddenly without any legs to stand on as Reenah pulls out a LASER CUTTER from nowhere and slashes out- sending the Empress toppling to the ground with a yelp._

_"I ABDICATE!" Reenah yells, and then slices off her own right wrist. The BRACELET tumbles to the ground, and the FORCE SHIELD begins dispersing around the arena._   
_\---_   
_Your name is RUFIOH NITRAM, and you watch as the two halves of this wayward team reunite at the Stargate- which fortunately is not just yet crawling with the Alternian Empire's agents._

_"Did you get what you need?" You ask of the girl from the future._

_"Yes, we did," Joey Claire nods. "And we bloodied that Cueball man too, real good."_

_"And Reenah?" You look at the LANDING VESSEL._

_"Here!" You hear a pained voice as a left hand waves from the back side._   
_\---_   
_KAWOOOOSH!_

_"Connection Established!" Zebede yells out as he drops the shield from infront of the Stargate._

_"Company!" Your name is Joey Claire, and you crack a grin. "LET'S WRECK SOMEBODY'S DAY!"_

_And with that, you and your team leap through the open wormhole._

_\---_   
_Sliding to a halt in the Destiny's cargo hold the three once-Heiresses draw their weapons, two laser swords and one rather pointy trident made out of a crashed escape pod's hull._

_Joey's blue blade contrasts against the green glow of Cridea's, and the Empress snarls as she storms into the room after them._   
_\---_   
_Cridea lands a glancing hit against the Empress' left leg- a gash which burns before healing over. The Empress yells in pain despite that- thus opening herself up to more attacks, forgetting about her healing factor for a moment._   
_\---_   
_Her Imperial Condescension back stepped over the body of the girl who'd killed herself rather than divulge any important secrets, and paid her no attention other than that she nearly tripped. And it just made Joey Claire all the more angry._

_"YOU'RE NO EMPRESS!" She yells over the sound of Chevron Seven Locking._

_"I NAME YOU KHEPRI! AND BANISH YOU FOR YOUR CRIMES!" Joey roars as Chevron Eight Locks._

_Chevron Nine spun into place, and locked._

_WAA WAA! KAWOOOSH! The Alternian Stargate activated in the back of the room, framed perfectly behind the Destiny's Stargate as a targeting ring._

_Joey Claire took a deep breath, and she PUSHED AGAINST REALITY with a mighty yell. And with a burst of FUSCHIA light, the Empress-no-More went flying through Destiny's Stargate, and then continued on further, heading straight into the stolen Alternia Stargate._

* * *

**EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 03/13/0007.**  
  
Your name is Joey Claire, and you look up from your book as you hear a knock at the door.  
  
"Just a minute!" You call out, and save your place in the book, grab your walking cane in case you need it, stand from the couch, and head to the door.   
  
You open the door, and it takes you a minute to place the woman standing before you. Alternain, Sea Dweller, a wide grin on her face and--  
  
[Oh. _**THAT**_ sign](http://hs.hiveswap.com/ezodiac/truesign.php?TS=Piun).   
  
"Hey, Joey," The Sea Dweller who'd been pretending to be an heiress in the past- CRIDEA SEAWAV is her name, and she throws her arms wide as if asking for a hug. "Guess who's back?"  
  
"Well well, if it isn't Reenah Kraken in the not flesh," you crack a grin and give your old friend a hug. "Welcome back, Cridea!"  
  


* * *

  
  
**O) <-STARGATE: ATLERNIA->(O**

* * *

"Wow," Cridea stared out into the yard as Toko ran around chasing Nepp and Nepeta, who are very deliberately keeping her away from any trees she could run into or get hurt near. "Who'd've thought you'd become a Lusus?"  
  
You laugh. "Yeah, it wasn't something we came to lightly. But I've loved every minute of it. She's really now that she's walking and talking and just able to do stuff with her hands. Just the other day she gave me this whole stack of drawings she'd done and I keep alternating them on the fridge cause there just isn't room for all of them at once."  
  
Cridea glanced back into the kitchen and at the currently center stage drawing showing Toko and you and Mierfa and Polypa with a "I love my Mommies!" scrawled on it in very rudimentary Alternian.  
  
"Real cute," Cridea grinned. "Man, it sounds like you've had an eventful life the last few Sweeps."  
  
"Tell me about it," you shake your head. "It's been one hell of a ride, that's for sure." Then, you look to her. "Sooo. What have you been up to since you basically dropped off the grid for your Journey? I know you said you'd be gone for a while, but it's really been a while!"  
  
"Eh, sightseeing, mostly," she shrugs. "I saw Alternia Galaxy. Visited all the worlds I could. Went to Milky Way when I finished. Did the same thing. Visited the sights, saw the Cavern of D'ni. Studied with some Jaffa Monks for a while. Oh. A few times I ran into this woman named Jane who was doing the same thing I was! Just, visiting worlds, learning what she could."  
  
"Oh! You ran into Jane when she was doing her cuisine quest?" You ask, surprised. "She never mentioned she ran into you."  
  
"You know Jane?" Cridea asks, surprised.  
  
"She's my dad's sister," you explain. "Got cloned by an Asgard and made young again when her old body died."  
  
"Wow, that's wild, I had no idea," Cridea shakes her head. "She didn't talk much about her home life, or even what world she was from. Just that she was traveling and seeing and learning from everything she could."  
  
"Yeah, well, in the end I guess that's not too much of a surprise," you sigh. "She hasn't really talked to me much about any of her long trip around the Galaxy."  
  
"Still, Small Universe, eh?" Cridea asks.  
  
"Yeah, Small Universe, alright," you agree.  
  
"So, water your plans for the future?" Cridea asks. "I'm debating what to do next."  
  
"Mmh, personally? Stay home, raise Toko, write music, occasionally go on tour," you answer. "You know. The simple life. No racing across the galaxy trying to solve one world ending problem after the next. I still dabble with that, when the situation arises, but-" You waggle your walking cane that you only most of the time use for the intimidation factor. "You know. Legs. They're not quite what they used to be still. Can't do as much running these days."  
  
"Yeah," Cridea shakes her head. "That sounds great and all, but it feels like I've been doing most of that these last few Sweeps. Just... walking. Seeing. No real running. Is it wrong that I miss the days when I was a critical part of a Rebellion and Revolution and had a shot at dethroning the Empress?"  
  
"Nah, I hear ya on that," you say. "Some days you just get that itch to do something meaningful, y'know? Like, there's something going on that you just can't ignore, so you come out of retirement for a few weeks to hunt down some rogue Replicators and blow up about a hundred of their ships all to get them to condense on their home planet so some girl who you didn't know but turns out to be a distant relative of yours can throw a giant golden spear at them and wipe them out of existence?"  
  
Cridea stares at you for a long moment- and then laughs. "Whole Cut Carp, Claire! That's insane! Where the hell was that?"  
  
"Pegasus," you answer.   
  
"Pegasus, huh?" Cridea stares out into the yard for a moment- you see her eyes fixed on Nepp's wings, flapping for stability as Toko manages to tackle the crow-cat hybrid.  
  
"Uh oh," you joke. "I know that look."  
  
"What look?" Cridea asks, glancing back at you.  
  
"The one that you got before we raided the Garrison," you answer. "The one that says 'I'm going to cause some serious havoc and have fun with it!'"  
  
Cridea laughs. "Alright, alright. That's fair enough, I suppose." She trails off, closing her eyes for a long moment. When she opens them again, she states, "How stupid would you say I'm being if I went off to Pegasus Galaxy to see the sights and help them deal with the problems there?"  
  
"Well, the Wraith are on a sharp decline, so it's probably a lot safer than it would've been otherwise," you muse. "But then there's this problem with who-ever or what-ever is using Attero beams to attack the Apollo and keep it from going anywhere in Pegasus- let alone back to Milky Way."  
  
"...So... only like... 42% crazy?" Cridea asks.  
  
"Ehh..." You wave your left hand up and town. "More like 20% crazy. Dammek's reworking the Astro and Delta's hyperdrives to run on different window frequencies than they ran on back when the Sovereign Slayer was around. Once he's done with that, Okurii's dispatching them both to Pegasus again."  
  
Cridea considers that fact with a distant look in her eyes. "And what if I said I just wanted to go because then I'd be three of three?"  
  
You laugh, and joke, "Then I'd say that's a 33% chance crazy."  
  
Cridea laughs. "Hah! Three of three. Thirty Three. Good one!"  
  
"Thanks," you smile. "That said, if you want, I can ask Okurii if she'd be willing to schedule an interview?"  
  
Cridea smiles. "Thanks, Joey. I think I'll take you up on that."  
  
"Any time," you laugh. "Sooo... D'ni, huh?"  
  
"Oh, Glub, that was insane!" Cridea leans her head back and groans. "Like, okay, so... here I am, just casually helping this Contractor who needed some freelabor rebuild houses in a village that some Goa'uld System Lord blew up, and we find this weird ass stone tablet with a burlap cloth stuck to it, with a Linking Panel on it. So I freakin' touch the danged thing wondering how they got such a detailed image on it, and BOOM! Suddenly I'm in this weird ass home carved out of a ground fissure next to a volcano!"  
  
"Noooo!" You gasp. "They didn't!"  
  
"Oh, they did! Worse? It was RAINING that day," she scoffs. "That guy, Jeff, who owned the place didn't even come out of his trailer until it stopped raining so he could check the place hadn't flooded!"  
  
"Maaan, that's insane!" You can't help but laugh.  
  


* * *

  
  
 **EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 03/14/0007.**  
  
Your name is General Okurii Leijon, and you've managed to get your work week scheduled down to a SCIENCE and a FORMULA. You've come to expect surprises by now. You roll with the flow and give as many punches as you take. Thus, it was of no surprise when Joey called you up yesterday to ask you to interview CRIDEA SEAWAV- once known as Reenah Kraken in another time- about a potential Atlantis Position.  
  
You've done interviews like this before. Alloyd Armadn, being one of the most recent that come to mind- and boy isn't there a problem for another day given the way his former friends have been acting in the wake of Pyxxal Borrgh's stupid actions on Atlantis. You know what to ask and how to ask...  
  
And generally, you know how to figure out whether a Troll is right for a position in Atlantis or not ahead of time.  
  
Reenah Kraken- Cridea Seawav...  
  
Now there's a name you haven't heard in a long time.  
  
Some time after whole "Exile Khepri" Mission, she'd gone off the grid. When exactly, you can't remember. Joey had mentioned to you at one point that it was something like a tour of the galaxy to see everything play out as events went forwards or something weird like that. A Personal Journey of sorts.  
  
You get the feeling the usual questions aren't going to work for this one.  
  
You buzz your intercom, "Zebede? Send her in, please."  
  
You steel yourself, and into your office walks a Sea Dweller Violet Blood wearing the sign of a long dead Fuschia blooded Alternian Heiress.   
  
She's composed vastly differently from how you last remember her. Eager to exile the Heiress, all too happy to help... but so totally a fish out of water. She gives you the same vibe now, but for different reasons. Her clothing style hadn't adjusted much at all during the brief time You'd known her after she came from the past. Back then, she wore basically the same kind of outfits as she'd worn in the past.   
  
Now however? The only thing that really said "Alternian" in her clothing style is the Pink sign woven onto the cloak- a Jaffa Style Formal shoulder cloak, you note with an amused tilt of an eyebrow- she wears over the rest of her outfit, which is a strange mixture of various Milky Way Cultures.   
  
She has a leather jacket on beneath the cloak, which looks like it came from Earth. The shirt she has on underneath it is woven in what looks like a water resistant fabric, emulating a BURLAP TEXTURE of all things, but otherwise seems rather plain and humble with a visible Hnadprint spiral in place of a sign. Over her forearms are braces that are Tok'ra Fashion. And continuing that trend, you notice that her her pants have some interesting flower imagery woven into the sides that looks like it came from Cla'dia.   
  
The belt that's accompanying her pants is interesting, though. The belt buckle looks like the familiar shade of Nara Brass-Gold-Bronze, and there's a familiar shape of a small, Green hard cover book resting on her right hip. A Relto Book. Those aren't easy to come by these days even with the whole D'ni Alliance thing. Yeesha doesn't just give them out to anybody. Not when there's no pressing need for a go-between location for Bahro Souls to visit while being freed from the Tablet.  
  
Finally, you notice her footwear- boots made up in a leather material that's textured in the black and red geometric patterns of Mofang technology- except, clearly not actually tech. Actual fabric and cloth materials, not generated out of hard light.   
  
That's a Recent trend. Very Recent, even. She must have made a visit to the new Mofang Homeworld at some point before visiting Joey yesterday. When did she even come back to Alternia Galaxy, even? You can't remember the last time you remember her coming through the gate. Then again, you did take a few weeks off last month for vacation. Maybe it was then? But then again, Relto Book. Who's to say that Yeesha didn't leave gifts? You really ought to have a talk with her about that some day.  
  
Your observations take place roughly in the span of a few seconds. You stand, and extend your hand to Cridea, which she grasps and shakes, giving you a traditional Jaffa Greeting of Respect in the process.  
  
You return it, a bit surprised. "You've certainly done your homework. I know some Trolls here who still can't get the pronunciation of that right." You motion for her to take a seat.  
  
"Thanks, I try my best," Cridea says, taking said seat as you sit back down. "So... Is this the part where I play 20 Questions or, do I have to take a test?"  
  
You consider that for a moment.   
  
"This is the part where I ask you a very simple question for yourself to mull over while we talk for the rest of the interview," you begin. "What do you do with Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs?"  
  
Cridea blinks. "Uh. What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"That's for you to figure out," you say. "Think on it while we talk."  
  
"Okay." She nods.  
  
"So, first and foremost," you start, "I can tell you've spent a lot of time out in the Universe, visting and exploring the cultures of our allies. That's quite the journey to make, but I have to ask, what prompted you to make such a journey?"  
  
Cridea answers, "After we returned from Giza, I found myself wondering what to do with my life. I mean, I hung around here for a while, right? But, things were so busy and hectic even after that... I didn't feel like I belonged here? Like, not even just here in the future, but, like, at all? Anywhere? I guess... I guess I was just waiting maybe? So, I think a part of it was that I wanted to go out and explore and see what there was to see. Find my own place."  
  
You nod, understanding that.  
  
"And have you?" You ask.  
  
"No," she answers. "But I felt drawn back here, after I'd seen everything I could see, and I feel like I know where I need to go next."  
  
"Pegasus?"  
  
"Pegasus."  
  
You mull it over for a long moment.  
  
"Why do you want to go there?" You ask.  
  
"I'm not entirely sure," Cridea shrugs. "A part of me thinks, 'Maybe I'll find my place there', and another thinks, 'Maybe I won't, and it's just another step on the road.' I've been everywhere in Milky Way and Alternia that I could go. Pegasus... Pegasus sounds like the next best step regardless."  
  
You can see the words coming before she formulates the next sentence.  
  
"I hear the Call, and it's telling me to go to Pegasus."  
  
There's no stopping her, then. Not when she's using that kind of imagery.  
  
You smile, and then say, "Alright then. So what about those tossed salads and scrambled eggs?"  
  
She goes pale for a moment- as if she'd forgotten about it.  
  
Then, as if grasping for an answer, offers, "You... Mix them together?"  
  
You can't help but laugh. She's a little bit confused, but that's alright. It wasn't really meant to be a question she could answer anyways. "Now that's an original answer!" You smile, and say, "I think you'll do fine in Pegasus, Miss Seawav."  
  
She looked shocked. "I... I can go?"  
  
You stand and offer your hand. "I'll be shipping you out with the Astro Megaship once it's Hyperdrive is re-calibrated."  
  
She stands, and shakes your hand. "Thank you, Ma'am."  
  


* * *

  
  
 **EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 03/16/0007.**  
  
"So, just a heads up, the Astro Mega's being redeployed to Pegasus for the foreseeable future..."  
  
Your name is Polypa Goezee, and damn it, this is not how you wanted today to go.  
  
"...Atleast until we shut down whatever's been targeting the Apollo," Tegiri continue. "So, uh... we're probably not going to go on another date for a while, and I'm really sorry about-" Tegiri shuts up as you raise a finger to tell him to wait.   
  
"Okay." You say as you quickly condense your thoughts together. "Okay, this is weird timing, but we can make this work."  
  
Tegiri doesn't seem to buy it, going by the look on his face. But... all he asks is "'Weird' timing?"  
  
"Well, I heard from Joey that the repairs were being done and you'd probably be deployed," you explain. "So, I wanted to have a date today so I could ask if you'd be okay with me coming with you, and here you go pre-empting me on this!"  
  
Tegiri blinks. "I- What?"  
  


* * *

  
  
Needless to say, an hour later, the two would practically be falling through the front door of Tegiri's apartment on Diaspora in a rather passionate make out session.  
  
Further Details to be left to the imagination.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Daraya, and you're staring down a rather annoyed Wanshi. Hands on her hips, a slight scowl on her lips, and a raised eyebrow that everyone seems to have borrowed from Teal'c at some point or another.  
  
"So. Let me get this straight, Daraya. After Bronya ditches. After Sumara goes Rainbow Drinker. After Lynera goes INSANE. After Kanaya and you go to Atlantis..." Wanshi takes a breath. "After leaving me and Lanque to run this place with a gutted staff and relying on volunteers like Mierfa to get everything back on its feet..."   
  
You swallow.  
  
"You expect me to just roll over on my back, expose my belly like a good little kitten, and say, 'Sure, I'll check for openings on the custom grub request schedule right away'?"  
  
"Well, when you put it like that..." you can't meet her eyes. "I guess it makes sense you'd want me to do something in exchange."  
  
"Damn right I want you to do something in exchange!" Wanshi nods the once.   
  
"What do you want me to do?" You ask.  
  
"I demand an apology!" Wanshi states simply.  
  
"I'm sorry for-" You begin, only for her to raise a finger and cut you off.  
  
"Not from you, Daraya. From Bronya." Wanshi clarifies.   
  
"...What'd Bronya do?" You ask.  
  
"I gave her a grub to raise and then she absconded to the Villien Village and I've barely heard from her since! None of us have!" Wanshi explains. "It's like she's cut all of us out of her life! And fair, after Lynera I can get that. But for crying out loud I keep calling her and sending her emails asking how things are going and I'm Fucking Being Cut Out Even Worse!!! I just want to know how she's doing! Glubbing hell, it's NOT THAT HARD to stay in contact with people!"   
  
She crosses her arms, and harumphs in a distinctly Bra'tac like way. You think she's visited with the Jaffa Council recently, probably.   
  
"Thus! I want you, Daraya Jonjet, to go to Bronya Ursama, and get her to apologize to me! Or, at the very least, try to get her to do that." Wanshi shakes her head. "Doesn't matter if she does or not, as long as you tried."  
  
You nod. "Alright. I can do that."  
  
"I'll put in the order for you and Tyzias regardless while you're gone." She extends a hand, and you hand her the Captcha card.   
  
"I wasn't expecting that," you say.  
  
"I'm not unreasonable," Wanshi says with a shrug. "I know that if she doesn't want to speak with me she doesn't want to speak with me. I just want know what's going on with her. I'm not going to keep you and Tyzias back from this if you want it."  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Xefros Tritoh, and you raise an eyebrow as you watch Dammek pack a SIXTH copy of the same dang hoodie he has on right now and moves onto a seventh.  
  
"Are you Sure you need seven of those things?" You ask.  
  
Dammek gives you a polite, yet stern gaze as he temporarily removes his glasses to show you the exact facial expression he's giving you.  
  
"Yes," he says. "Yes I do need seven of them, and infact, more than seven..." He proceeds to grab two more hoodies out of the closet and shoves them without folding straight into his suitcase. "Ten."  
  
"Dude, first of all. Why do you even Have that many?"  
  
Pointedly, Dammek grabs an ELEVENTH hoodie, it joins the rest in suitcase purgatory.  
  
"Second of all, it's just Atlantis. Don't they have uniform jackets?"  
  
A twelfth hoodie. Good Grief.  
  
"You Don't need twelve fucking hoodies including the one you're wearing!"  
  
A Thirteenth Hoodie Joins The Pile.  
  
"Dammek! Come On! Why do you need that many?"   
  
It's like dealing with Baizil's dimensionaly younger alternate self and sister. You tell them not to do something and they just do it again.  
  
A Fourteenth Hoodie Joins The Stack.  
  
And then Dammek says, "Because I used to loan them to Callie all the time when she was still local and I had to keep getting replacements. Now I have far too many and fully expect her to steal them from me while I'm stationed at Altantis."  
  
"...Okay, fair enough," you say.  
  
Pointedly, Dammek reaches into his closet for another hoodie, but comes up with a pair of swim trunks instead. He stares at them for a moment, and so do you.   
  
You did NOT know that Dammek owned a pair of swim trunks patterned with yellow bunnies, blue gorillas, and red cheetahs. Dammek stares at it as if he forgot he had these too.  
  
"Well," he said, flatly. "I guess I came up short on that joke."  
  
"Apparently," you say, equally flatly.   
  
The trunks join the hoodies without further comment.  
  
"Okay, but seriously," you cough, changing subjects. "Do you think maybe you're over packing? I mean... stuffing your entire apartment's worth of belongings into boxes and captcha cards for taking to Atlantis is a bit... extra, isn't it?"  
  
"Sure," Dammek shrugs. "I suppose it could be. But... I don't trust that easily, Xefros. What if a fire breaks out and burns everything down while I'm gone? If I have it all with me then I won't lose it."  
  
You...  
  
You have no response for that other than, "You really miss Callie's sensibilities keeping you from over-reacting, don't you?"  
  
"What was your first clue?" Dammek asks.  
  


* * *

  
  
 **EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 5TH, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 03/17/0007.**  
  
The Astro Megaship rocketed through Hyperspace, and not too far behind it was the Delta Megaship. And you can actually almost see it from this one window in the back. Just the corner of the left side wing flap, but its there.  
  
Your name is Ardata Carmia, and you sip at your hot chocolate with something edging on anticipation.  
  
Once more into Pegasus. Except this time instead of hunting down Replicators, you're going to be hunting down whatever is hunting the Apollo, as well as to bring necessary hyperdrive modifications to make that ship fly safely again.  
  
Well, you say "you're" as if you personally are involved. You meant it in the plural. You're (Singular) just a single weapon mecha pilot- nothing really unique about anything you're (Singular) doing here unless you're (Singular) called for.   
  
However you're (Singular) still involved in this hunt that you're (plural, the Crews of both ships) on.   
  
...You're (Singular) also very, very bored.  
  
You sip at your hot chocolate, and try and think of something else to do, but alas, you just can't quite come up with it.  
  
...You think you're going to go back to your room and watch some ALTERNIA GALAXY ORIGINAL ANIME DVDS.  
  
That sounds like fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I had to get that earworm of a song in my head again, so do you all. XP  
> \---  
> Im once again going to throw out there a general call for any dangling plot threads readers want to see covered. This may be the penultimate or actually last time I put out a call for one. So... if anyone has anything they want addressed that they haven't seen covered yet and I haven't already accounted for, please leave a comment down below.  
> \---  
> I'll admit, I'm a little bit proud of that 'coming up short' joke. The print on it is a reference to Go-Busters/Power Rangers Beast Morphers.  
> \---  
> We're getting a little pay off on the whole Wanshi left alone subarc, finally, as well as the start of checking in with Bronya and Skylla.  
> \---  
> Next Chapter:  
> SGA:05X05: Ghosts, Machines, and Combinations there of.


	10. SGA:05X05: Ghosts, Machines, and Combinations there of.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lynera escapes from Cryptarium; Daraya searches for Bronya and Skylla; Atlantis's day to day operations continue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music Sequence this chapter, near the bottom half. you don't HAVE to synch it up, as its pretty fast paced. But, uh. Links as always where they start.

_PREVIOUSLY ON STARGATE:_   
_\---_   
_The Mofang Cruiser exploded, leaving behind a rift in space time between galaxies._   
_\---_   
_Lynera Skalbi is seen, rocking back and forth, knees held up to her chest, on the floor of the Mofang Cruiser's engine room, muttering about time repeating._   
_\---_   
_Joey Claire finds herself between a standoff between Alex Vance, Grodon Freeman, and some weird pale skinned G-MAN type person somewhere in the Borealis._   
_\---_   
_The Borealis crashes and produces a multi-dimensional explosion within several dimensions worth of Combine Home Bases._   
_\---_   
_Bronya smiles as Joey hands her a linking book._   
_\---_   
_Marvus is seen alongside Elwurd's crew as they stand in the desert of Minkata._   
_\---_   
_A series of explosions takes out a Wraith Hiveship between galaxies- but Marvus is not with Elwurd's crew when this happens._   
_\---_   
_Wanshi demands Daraya fetch Bronya and get an apology from her._

* * *

**EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 03/20/0007.**  
  
Security Guards at the Lopan Cryptarium Mental Health And Wellcare Facility did their checks in 15 minute Rounds when it came to their most worrisom patient, Lynera Skalbi.  
  
"Jasmin Wardyn, round 618, log checking in on Lynera's Wing..." The guard in question said, before whistling a small tune from the Grubbel's recent release- an [orchestral rendition of an old classic, "Creeping In My Soul."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiavTEDhQ1g)

"Hey, Guardy!" A chipper soul who thought himself a pirate called out from a nearby room as she passed. "Lynera's been awful quiet this morn' since that big tall fellow with the crazy clown hair came by to visit 'er! Did you scallywags give her the good stuff for once?"  
  
The poor Security Guard paused, frowning, and then hurried to check the room.  
  
Sure enough, quiet eminated from the room.  
  
"I need a camera check on Lynera Skalbi," she radios.  
  
 _"Thermal and Visual report she's sleeping in bed,"_ came the reply.  
  
"Check again," the guard ordered.  
  
 _"...Wait. Something's off... Shit, I think the feed's been looped!"_  
  
"I need to open Skalbi's room," The guard demanded. A moment later, there was a buzz, and the guard entered the room through the now unlocked door.

...Lynera Skalbi was not in her bed, or anywhere in the room, for that matter.

"ALL STAFF EMERGENCY: We have an escaped ward, I repeat an escaped ward! Lynera Skalbi is NOT in her room!"

* * *

[ **O <\--- STARGATE ATLANTS --->O** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0K2bRdtGlg)

* * *

Daraya Jonjet stood before the Villien settlement, took a deep breath, and started strolling away from the village and into the forests of Diaspora.  
  


* * *

  
  
 _ **"HIIIYAAAAAGHOOF!"**_  
  
Such a strange sound was what came about as one Lieutenant Amelia Banks grabbed and flipped a charging Lieutenant Miyu Shinohara onto the gymnasium mat with a practiced ease.  
  
There was a pause.  
  
"I'm okay!" The dazed rocket fanatic cried out from the floor, throwing a hand into the air.  
  
"And that," Lt. Banks said to the watching audience of Self Defense Course Students, "is exactly how you flip an opponent who's aiming to clothes line you into the floor. Are there any questions?"  
  
As the inevitable hands went into the air, you notice that Ronon Dex couldn't help but stare at the currently teaching Lieutenant with what you gauge to be something akin to respect and awe. Potentially something more.  
  
Your name is Gordon Freeman, and you can't help but raise an eyebrow and nudge your... tentatively friend still probably more acquaintance in the arm. "Do my eyes deceive me, or are you impressed?"  
  
"Banks has talent," Ronon allowed. "Shinohara, not so much."  
  
"I Think the point was that she was asked to play up the obvious weaknesses in techniques," you muse. Ronon gives you a 'no shit' look, as if he didn't already know that. "That said..." You wince as Banks twists Shinohara's arm around behind her back in demonstration of a technique, much to the arm-twistee's vocal oddly-happy displeasure. "...There is a question of how much is playing it up and how much is legitimate."  
  
Or how much of it is a certain type of enjoying a high pain tolerance.  
  
You get the feeling Shinohara could drink you under the table, and you're ODDLY OKAY with that.  
  


* * *

  
  
 _"Bronya and Skylla? They went on Vacation a few... I wanna say months ago? But come to think of it, i can't really remember the last time I'd seen them."_ A troll's voice echoed through your mind.  
  
 _"They went deep into the forest some time ago with their young charge,"_ the floating text of a magical subtitle spell burned into your vision as a Villein spoke. _"They have not returned since."_  
  
Your name is Daraya Jonjet, and you take a very long moment to dredge up old and recent scents alike.   
  
Okay... Lycanthropic enhanced smelling senses aside, there's currently a strange ability you have right here and now ever since you approached the village that's letting you also visualize scents into images. And it's kinda creepy. What does it matter if two Villein decided to get it on behind that set of boulders over there? Okay, why do you care if you can smell from across the ravine where Jade nearly lost control over her gravity powers?  
  
It's been driving you crazy, and you hope that it doesn't stick with you, because on Atlantis there's so many things that's "Narratively relevant" on any given day that your ability to use this extra sense is going to be just about as good as your ability to pick out scents on their own. In a crowded space, everything mingles together too much...  
  
Out here though, your only enemy is TIME, even if you can see the past for some strange reason right now.  
  
How's THAT possible?  
  
Skylla's a Time Aspect, maybe she's picked up some trick or something to leave anyone coming to look for her clues?  
  
Bronya, Skylla... Where are you two...?  
  
Then, you spot them just about a split second after catching their real scents.  
  
The Hunt Is On.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Silica, can you hand me that data sheet on the Hiveship microbe progression?" Your name is Keiko Ayano and you hold your hand out absently to the side as you peer into a microscope.   
  
...There's a far too long pause where you hear nothing, and you risk glancing away. "Silica?"  
  
Your alternate dimension twin is staring out the window.  
  
You frown.  
  
"Silica!"  
  
"Huh?" she jumps a little in her chair. "What?"  
  
"Data sheet on the Hive-?" You start, and she nods, rapidly, before handing you the sheet in question.  
  
You quickly compare your visual results on the experiment before you, and you sigh in dismay. "Damn it. Of course it's a new strain."  
  
Another abandoned warehouse overgrown with dead red vines, another failed Wraith Hiveship experiment. At least the inoculations against the first Wraith Hiveship strand seem to be holding fine against this one. Even so...  
  
You save the data, and toss the potential bio-hazard into a captchalogue card for proper disposal. (You shove it into a paper shredder that incinerates the scraps.) And turn to look at Silica. "Hey, are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah," she sighs. "Just... Minori's been having it rough since she got back from the Hunting Grounds. Nightmares. I can tell, even if she says its nothing."  
  
You frown. "Has she talked with Dr. Heightmeyer yet?"  
  
"I've asked her to, but she says she's fine," Silica sighs.  
  
"Okay, look, I may be stepping way out of line here but you gotta not beat yourself up over it," you say. "If you want me to, I can talk to her and see if I can get through to her?"  
  
"...I'd appreciate that, thanks," Silica nods.  
  
And with that, you smile and stand from your chair. "I'll get on that just as soon as I deliver these test results to Mr. Woolsey."  
  
"Oof," Silica winces. "Good luck."  
  
"Thanks, I'll need it," you say, and head to leave for Atlantis Control.  
  
On the way, you pass by a solo Tyzias, who looks concerned. "Oh, hey, Welcome back, Tyz!"

"Oh, hey Keiko," she nods, a bit distractedly.  
  
"Hey, is something wrong?" You ask, your sixth sense flaring up again.  
  
"Daraya had to stay behind on Diaspora for a few days to finish up something that started," Tyzias shrugs. "It's... well. It's not my place to say, really. But..." She pauses. "Well, as long as she doesn't get herself killed, she and I are putting in for more desk duty that field work soon."  
  
"Really?" You ask, startled. "So soon? I thought it was going to be at least another two weeks before you did that. What changed?"  
  
"We put in for a Grub with the caverns," Tyzias answers.   
  
"Oh, wow," you gasp. "Congratulations!"  
  
"Thanks, it'll take who knows how long to grow the egg and for it to hatch and all, but," Tyzias shrugs. "I think it's the right next step."  
  
"Well, hopefully Daraya finishes up whatever it is and comes back safely," you say.   
  
"Yeah," Tyzias nods. "It's just Diaspora, so I can't imagine it's too much trouble, but... It's something she said she has to deal with on her own."  
  
And with that, she continues on down the hall, and you head towards the transporter she no doubt came from.  
  


* * *

  
  
You're once again Daraya, and you frown as you follow the ghostly scent projection of Bronya and Skylla- you can sort of vaguely see a toddler looking Karako strapped to Bronya's back, but it's hard to tell with this weird double vision thing.  
  
After a few more moments of tracking, they flicker out of sight.  
  
"Damn it," you swear. "Now what?"  
  
That's when your ears pick up the sound of something rolling through the underbrush.  
  
Rolling, literally, because within moments you catch sight of a small, green, round orb that darts across your path and dives away into the foliage.  
  
You immediately give chase because A: That's CLEARLY not native Diasporan wildlife. And B: The timing can't be a coincidence with you just losing Skylla's presumed trial of temporal breadcrumbs.  
  


* * *

  
  
 _"Heeeey! Kanayaaaa!"_  
  
Your name is Kanaya Maryam, and you sigh before looking up from your Infirmary Workstation desk. "Hello, Aradia. Rug rash again?"  
  
"What? Nooo!" Your something-like-a-sister-from-another-dimension looks embarrassed for a moment, waving it off. "Please, I'm not so stupid as to try sledding down the hallway on a carpet twice in the same week!"  
  
"What injuries brought you here then?" You ask.  
  
"No injuries! Geeze, Kanaya. Can't a girl just come visit her friend slash sister slash someone who she grew up with in a crazy dimension hopping scenario??"  
  
"First off, that was an absurd amount of implied dashes I heard in that sentence just now," you say, looking Aradia in the eyes. "Second of all, you've avoided anything resembling the relationship we had during our travels ever since we settled in this dimension."  
  
Ever since the quartet of women taking care of you came here with you both as the latest string of their journey, and wound up with a powerful artifact being destroyed by this dimensions version of said artifact's owner.  
  
You've wondered what your version of Joey, Bronya, Wanshi, and... and... was it Lynera or Daraya? You honestly forgot and you don't have it in you to go back and check your old diary for the information. If it was a Daraya, then you probably blocked the memory out enough because you've come to know this Dimension's Daraya a thousand times better. If it was Lynera then no harm no foul, you suppose.  
  
Anyways, you've wondered from time to time what those four have been up to since you and Aradia chose to stay here. Since your version of Joey...  
  
Well. That doesn't really matter now, does it?  
  
"Okay," Aradia huffs. "Fine. Look. I just... After the whole Hunting Grounds thing, I kinda got thinking about it all and..." She crosses her arms, and sits down on the edge of your desk. "I realized I haven't been... the best sister in a while? Or friend, for that matter." She sighed. "I mean, I couldn't even figure out how to just... come say Hi without needing an excuse?"  
  
"Hence the Rug Rash from the other night," You guess.  
  
"Exactly!" She nods. "And... Here's exactly why. The moment I come in you're asking about what I Need Fixed rather than what I WANT fixed."  
  
"...An interesting distinction," you muse. "What exactly is it that you want fixed then?"  
  
"Us! As friends, family!" Aradia says, motioning between herself and you. "We've both been working here for years now and it feels like... like we've just ended up avoiding each other."  
  
"We have had our own cliques and social circles," you allow. "Admittedly, I've allowed myself to be far more immersed in the Medical Department than... what was it you worked in again? Translations?"  
  
"Officially it's Archaeology," Aradia corrects. "But I've got enough EXP saved into all the Anthropology shit that they have me on diplomat duty, remember?"  
  
"Ah," you nod. "Right. Yes. That makes sense." And then you wince. "And then I just go and prove your point by showing how little we've interacted these past few years with my own failure to remember where you even work here."  
  
"That's exactly what I mean," Aradia nods. "I.... I want to figure out how we can fix that. We grew up in the craziest situations, Kanaya. We should be closer than this, shouldn't we?"  
  
You sigh in agreement. "Yes. We should, I suppose."  
  
"So..." Aradia hesitates. "You went and got married?"  
  
"Yes, that I did." You nod, grabbing at your coffee mug and taking a sip of the still warm liquid inside.  
  
"Soo.... How's the sex?"  
  
You very nearly perform a spit take all over your work documents.  
  
You swallow your coffee, and place the mug down on the table, and fix Aradia with the most unbecoming of stares. "Really, Aradia? That's the question you choose to ask me?"  
  
She grins, cheekily. "Well... It's not like I have my own love life to talk about. I'm just asking the REAL questions nobody else wants to ask!"  
  
You roll your eyes. "Yes, well. It's fine. Rose and I... enjoy our time, and that's all I'll say on the matter here at my work space."  
  
She laughs. "Fair enough!"  
  
"So... no love life, huh?" You ask. "I thought I heard you were pitch flirting heavily with that Tagora fellow."  
  
"Taajek? Nah!" Aradia shakes her head. "He's fun to tease, but I don't think I really like like him or like hate him in that way. Flushed or Pitched just... nah. Nah." She shrugs. "Just doesn't feel right, y'know?"  
  
"Fair enough," you agree.   
  
"So... Rose Lalonde, huh? What's it like being part of THAT family tree?" Aradia asks. "Wait, shit! That means I'm part of that family tree TOO now! I have BIRTHDAY OBLIGATIONS to keep track of now! Shit!"  
  
You can't help but laugh.  
  


* * *

  
  
 _You're Still Daraya._ That hasn't changed.  
  
And you swear as you watch the tiny green orb roll through the forest floor only to suddenly get flung high into the air by some kind of hidden or burried mechanical pressure fling plate.  
  
It goes flying, flying, flying, and then vanishes through a small tear in space time.  
  
What the fuck.   
  
Damn it, you've got no other choice but to follow. This is probably what happened to Bronya and Skylla.  
  
You check the foliage, and see that the pressure plate thing, whatever it is, is sort of flickering between a state of not being present and being present.  
  
It's like it's been superimposed onto the landscape. There's at least a 50% chance you know exactly where this is heading.  
  
Still, as it finishes resetting, you guess it's solid enough now.  
  
You step onto it and-- _**PCHTHWANG!!!--**_ You go Sailing through the air without a care. Like an Eagle, almost.  
  
Except you don't have wings and you ain't piloting no blimp.  
  
You travel through the rift without a second's thought.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are once more Keiko Ayano, and you knock on the door to Colonel Sheppard's office.   
  
There's a pause, then the door opens automatically. Inside, you find John Sheppard and Teyla Emmagan talking to themselves in a normal tone of voice while keeping their eyes on two nearby cribs.  
  
You gaze into them as you enter the room and see two sleeping infant children- Torren and Casey. Ah. Nap time.  
  
"Sorry for the intrusion," you begin, quietly-   
  
“Don’t worry about the noise,” John says. “I’m using the breeze to divert sound away from them.”  
  
Oh. Well.  
  
“Okay then,” you say, normal tone of voice. "I was wondering if either of you had seen Minori come by this way? I'm trying to find her to speak with her about something. Touya said he saw her come this way earlier. so..."  
  
"Sorry," John shakes his head. “Haven’t seen Minori in a while.”  
  
“You may want to ask Argo and Jade,” Teyla says, “they left here but a few minutes ago and may have walked by her.”  
  
“Eh, maybe wait on that,” John dismisses it. “If I know them they’re taking the time to balance out the amounts of fucks given about our bed’s last legs.”  
  
“...Huh?” You tilt your head to the side a bit. “What? I don’t get it.”  
  
“Sorry, inside joke,” John cracks a small grin. “Well, more like an inside bet. We’ve been arguing every now and then over the last few months about replacing the bed frame for our bed soon, and Argo proposed this bet a while back about which combination of us would be the ones more likely to break the thing first, thus prompting a replacement entirely, and whoever wins gets to pick the next mattress and frame. See, Jade thinks it’ll be all three of us putting too much weight on the frame and breaking it. But Argo thinks it’ll be Jade’s powers that’ll make it collapse. So they might be trying to get Jade to do that right now.”  
  
“That’s, uh...” you blink. “An enthusiastic way of enjoying your loved ones company, I guess?”  
  
“And what of your part in this bet, John?” Teyla asks.  
  
John smirks, swipes out a Captcha Card, and deposits a few screws onto the desk. “I bet that it’ll just colapse on it’s own without powered intervention or excess weight.”  
  
“You rigged your own bed to collapse?” You ask.  
  
“Nope! The exact opposite, in fact!” John shakes his head, grinning. “These are leftover screws from me already Replacing the Bed after it _already collapsed_ on its own accord just before we made the bet.”  
  
“So... you’re betting against yourself?” You ask instead.  
  
“No, you’re not quite getting it.” John says. “The point is, I’m betting on what’s already happened, thus playing the long game because it’s a new frame. And if it DOES happen to break in either Jade or Argo’s favor, then that’s just how fate plays out. But... It’s not going to happen that way. Wanna know why?”  
  
“I am both appalled and enthralled by this story at the same time,” Teyla shakes her head in astonishment. “Please, do explain why it’s not going to happen that way.”  
  
“See, Jade wants it to break with all three of us on it, but she can’t ensure that’ll happen unless she uses her powers to cheat, which is exactly what Argo’s bet on her doing. So she’s NOT going to do that. Meanwhile, Argo’ll try to get alone with Jade enough times to try and break the thing with Jade’s powers, sort of trying to force events to happen in their favor. But Jade doesn’t want the bed to break with her powers, so she’s told me she plans on using her powers to hold the thing together whenever she and Argo are together in it.”  
  
“And because she doesn’t yet realize you’ve replaced it, Jade will continue to use her powers to maintain the structural integrity of the new frame in an attempt to win a bet already lost,” Teyla nods, getting it.   
  
“New frame already promises to last longer than the old one, and with Jade holding it together? I figure we can get another six or so months out of that estimate,” John smirks. "I'm waiting to see how long it is before either of them actually check and realize it's a new frame. I'm pretty sure they'll both get a laugh out of it when they do."  
  
“O...Kay.” You shake your head. “I’m just going to go see if I can find Minori now.”  
  
“Good luck with that,” John says.  
  
“Yeah, thanks,” You say. “Good luck with your baby-watching.”  
  


* * *

  
  
"Oooowww..." You are still Daraya Jonjet, just now with the added addition of a splitting headache from tumbling headlong into a dimension of space time that seems to want to cram FAR too many parallel dimensions worth of memories into your skull.  
  
Also, crash landing shoulder first at terminal velocity into a snow bank probably didn't help much either.  
  
How do you know it was Terminal Velocity?  
  
The tiny green orb lay atop a beheaded snowman nearby, chirping happily about having achieved it.  
  
It's not entirely green, either. There's specks of orange and yellow across its surface- and it has a glowing blue eye shaped camera thing on its front.  
  
It looks like that danged A.I. Core that Mallek stole from the Garrison all those many thousands of years ago, except smaller, happier, and very deadlier.  
  
You say that because it's using what looks like two tiny machine guns to gesture with, as well as trying to pry itself loose from the rest of the snowman it killed on impact.  
  
You wouldn't call the machine guns, though. More like laser pointers. The Orb calls them Machine Guns though.  
  
You really don't think any bullets are flying out of those barrels, but whatever. Today's been a weird day.  
  
"Oh, damn it, A.M.!" And, Oh. Here's someone new.   
  
A white haired woman with a long scar over her left eye walks into view, said eyes closed as she massages at the bridge of her nose. Her hair, long and white as it its, is tied up into an off center pony tail. She's wearing a Daedalus Crew Uniform, though, which, uh, is CONCERNING for a few reasons.  
  
"Hiiii Weiss!" The tiny orb of green remarks, far too chipper for having beheaded a snow man. "I did as you asked and brought you the girl!"  
  
Oh, lovely.  
  
The woman- Weiss- opens her eyes- they're a bright, vibrant, icy shade of blue. "Okay, yes, thank you for that, A.M. But did you have to fling both of yourselves through the rift like that?"  
  
"It moved!" 'A.M.' - the orb- explains.  
  
"Oh for the-" Weiss shakes her head, and moves over to help you to your feet. "I'm sorry for her, but she's a Monster sometimes. Adorable, yes, but a Monster never the less."  
  
"Uhhh... it's okay?" You offer. "I'm Daraya."  
  
"Weiss," the woman introduces herself, though it's not necessary. "Lieutenant Wiess Schnee, of the Daedalus."

 **[Weiss + Daedalus = Connection to Ruby.]** Wait what? Also, damn it, yep. You're almost100% SURE you're inside the Unending.  
  
"You wouldn't happen to have known a Ruby Branwen by any chance, would you?" You ask, not quite sure if you want to know the answer to that or not.  
  
"That depends on if you happen to know the same Ruby Branwen I knew," Weiss frowned. "Though, knowing the Unending's, well, unending sense of trolling, I wouldn't be surprised."  
  
Well, shit. That confirms a whole hell of a lot vis a vis the memory thing too. Ow. 'Vis a vis'? Since when did you use that phrase?  
  
...Since there was a you who apparently took Callie's role in events back in your timeline in some other world, apparently... and was a Sea Dweller too? Ugh, that's a whole kettle of fish you don't want to dive into.  
  
You try to put the memories aside as best as you can, and ask, "Okay. So. Unending dimension of Unlimited Potential. Okay. Why the hell am I here?"  
  
"That's a bit of a long story," Weiss says. "Let's walk and talk." She moves over to A.M. and snatches the orb up under one arm. "We've got distance to cover and not a lot of time to do it."  
  
"I thought time didn't move linearly here," you grouch, following her as you walk through the frozen fields into a forest.  
  
"It doesn't move linearly compared to other dimensions, but it still has its own flow all the same," Weiss elaborates. "And time is very much NOT on our side right now."  
  
"Don't tell me it's the giant tooth monster again," you lament,  
  
"Oh, no, nothing like that," Weiss shakes her head. "What we're dealing with is a Xen Scenario."  
  
 **[XEN]** \- A Border Dimension World used in several variations of teleportation experiments that would, in many different timelines, result in the SEVEN HOUR WAR and TWENTY OR MORE YEARS of Combine Rule over Earth. Only Gordon Freeman's intervention prevented worse catastrophes from happening in over 86% of dimensions. RELATED: **[RESONANCE CASCADE.]**  
  
Ugh. Yep. Another Infodump. It really is just as annoying as you were told.  
  
"I take it you mean someone's planning on recreating whatever happened there here to do something shady?" You ask.  
  
"Have you heard of the Daedric Prince Hircine? Lord of Werewolves and other Lycanthropic-esque changes?" Weiss asks.  
  
"Eh, just once from this Ozma guy," you answer. "Karren shot him dead."  
  
"Well, not dead enough," Weiss grouches. "He survived in the Hunting Grounds afterwards, and began making forays into hiring individuals who could also traverse dimensions at will in an attempt to bring Hircine's armies into other worlds. I've done what I can through the Unending to stop it where and when I can, but I failed to account for the knock on effects of Rule Breaker distorting time- Somehow."  
  
"Medea's knife?" you ask. "Geeze, of course something'd happen with that."  
  
You exit the forest, and come to a ruined cityscape. It's futuristic, and rustic, and demolished, and.... FLOATING all over the place. At the center of it is a massive spire, and atop it is an ominously glowing blue orb of light.  
  
"Welcome to City 17," Weiss says. "There's also a reason I said we're dealing with a Xen scenario. We're not just dealing with someone Ozma hired to create such a scenario, we're dealing with someone who's Done It Before."  
  
"Fuck," you stare upwards at the spire- a CITADEL. "This is from Freeman's world?"  
  
"Someone's Emulating it, but yes," Weiss nods. "That G-Man has sent his replacement for Freeman here to oversee the experiment that's soon to happen. If that happens, we'll have a bridge connecting Your Dimension to Hircine's Dimension- The Hunting Grounds."  
  
"And the Unending is the perfect bridge to do it, too," The orb, A.M., remarks, sounding oddly somber for the first time since before. The orange flaps above and below its eye narrow sadly. "Everything here is powered by thought, not by physical laws."  
  
"Okay, I get all of that," you run your hand through your hair, deftly avoiding horns and ears. "But why did you lure me in here with ghostly images of **[Bronya and Skylla]**?" You INFO DUMP in return for the XEN thing.  
  
Weiss pauses, then looks to the Orb, who gives the best impression of a shrug a small green orb can give. Wait. Did it always have those little dog-ear-flaps on the side of it besides the machine gun things?  
  
...You guess it did. Because now that they're moving you can see even MORE machine gun barrels. What the fuck.  
  
"We didn't do that," Weiss answers. "Your friends must have gotten taken into the Unending, somehow."  
  
"Well, that's a small comfort," you grimace. "Okay. Assuming they're here, I'll probably run into them somewhere. Tell me who I've got to confront up top."  
  
"Alex Vance, for starters," Weiss says. "She's the overseer. However, there is another, but someone I'm not familiar with. An Alternian, I think. Tall, muscular... Clown Makeup. Last I saw, he had a prisoner who I was also unfamiliar with. A smaller, female, Alternian. She was mumbling something about her memories not making any sense, but that's par the course for this place so I didn't pay it much mind, and I don't know Why I'm still talking about it for-"  
  
"Wait." you raise a hand. And then you ask, "Did she look like **[Lynera]**?"   
  
You pass along a memory of your once friend because it's easier than trying to describe her.  
  
"Yes, that was her," Weiss answers.  
  
...Fuck.   
  
"And what about the guy. Did he look like..." Shit, you really hope this isn't the case. " **[Marvus]**?"  
  
...Info packet away.  
  
"That's him. Yes." Weiss hangs her head. "Damn it. I saw far too much in that one. A rift in space time? Really??"  
  
"Yeah. It tracks, atleast," You sigh. "Fucking Hell, why can't my life be easy for once!?"  
  


* * *

  
  
 _"'Scuuuuse me, Doctor Freeman?"_  
  
You are NOT Gordon Freeman. You are Ruby Branwen, and you look up from reloading your sniper rifle to see Lieutenant Shinohara standing near by, dual wielding six-shot Grenade Launchers, as she talks to Gordon Freeman.  
  
"UUhhhhh...." He's clearly trying not to let on how attractive he finds Shinohara at that moment. "Yes?"  
  
"Do you know where a good place to get in firing practice with these would be?" Shinohara asks.  
  
"Not in the slightest," he answered, still a little dazed.  
  
"Awh, okay." She hangs her head, and puts the grenade launchers back onto the rack where they came from.  
  
Well, okay. That's just weird.  
  
You sigh, and finish reloading before taking sight down Atlantis' Firing Range and lining up your shot. It's a tricky one. Standing with the rifle unsupported by anything but the firing range counter for the front of your gun... but if you pull it off, it's today's challenge done.  
  
You steady your aim, steady your breath... Tap.  
  
 **BANG!**  
  
The Target gets pierced, just slightly off center of bullseye. You drifted a bit too far north.  
  
A whistle from next to you has you glance up.  
  
A young woman stands nearby with her own sniper rifle. Her hair's a strange shade of teal, matching her eyes, which have some odd, internal lighting to them. "Nice shot!"  
  
"Thanks," you answer, extending your hand to her. "Lieutenant Ruby Branwen. From D'ni." Even if it's not this dimension's D'ni.  
  
"Ah, Asada, Shino," she shakes your hand. "I'm from Corinth."  
  
"Ah," you nod in understanding. "Gotcha. What brings you to Atlantis?"  
  
"Well, mostly just that I didn't feel at home on the Unwritten," Miss Asada says, setting up her own sniper rifle for a similar shot to yours. Hmm, is that a HECATE II? How rare, atleast, back in your dimension. "And with Corinth shutting down, well... where else do I go?"  
  
She's remarkably steady as she stills into position.  
  
You'd almost think you were looking at a statue or a-  
  
 **BWAM!**  
  
...A machine.  
  
She doesn't even flinch with the recoil as the shot hits center mass of the target.  
  
You can't help but whistle in kind. "That's... uh. Nice shot."  
  
"Thanks... but that was a fail, actually," Miss Asada frowns. "I've got Venjix based bio-mechanical augmentations and Zillyum exposure to give me an unfair advantage. I can't NOT miss."  
  
"...Isn't that a good thing?" you ask.  
  
"No, I mean, I CAN'T miss," she emphasizes that. "Not even if I want to. it's always a fatal shot and I can't make it NOT do that. Not yet anyways."   
  
"...Ah," you nod. "I can see how that'd be a problem. But, hey, I guess it's like any skill," you offer. "Practice makes perfect... or, imperfect, in this case?"  
  
Asada laughs. "Good one. I like it."

* * *

"So," you're still Daraya Jonjet, and that hasn't changed in the last five seconds since you realized that Marvus and Lynera are involved in all of this. Does all of this finally come tying back to Elwurd's crew and their stupid stunt with the Quantum Mirror?  
  
Honestly, someone like this G-Man being able to cross dimensions getting involved to facilitate things in someone like Hircine's favor suddenly doesn't seem so random like it did when you first heard about the whole Borealis incident.  
  
That Many Different Dimensional Nexus Points coliding like that just CAN'T be a coincidence, but it also couldn't be intentional, not unless it was done retroactively.  
  
And time being what it is, well, you suppose it very well could have all been arranged retroactively to sustain a fixed loop, but even so...  
  
"So?" Weiss asks.  
  
"Resonance thingy is up there," you point at the glowing blue orb atop the spire. "How do we get up to it?"  
  
"Alex has built the defenses, and they're stolen from various dimensions." Weiss hums, and then says, "I've been thinking about a work around to that. I've dug into the multiverse through the Unending. The Alex Vance we're dealing with is a variant of the prime soul, Alyx Vance." You can hear the different spelling. "Recently, new dimensions have started brewing with different backstory. A slightly different experience leading to the same outcomes... but..." Weiss smirks. "There's a chance that due to the name difference, Alex Vance up there won't receive memories based on events that are happening to Alyx Vance. Thus... she can't prepare for something she doesn't know exists."  
  
There's a brief warping of reality as a box suddenly bursts forth from the charred dirt beneath Weiss' feet.  
  
She kneels down, opens the box, and retrieves two mechanical gloves with glowing orange crystals, wires, and circuit boards embedded into all points.   
  
"The Legend of these devices has not yet begun to stabilize across realities," Weiss says, "that said, the Legend of these devices does not matter in the Unending. They can do whatever we want them to do."  
  
She hands you the gloves, and you put them on.  
  
"What are they?" You ask.  
  
"Gravity Gloves," Weiss smirks. "But, I've... made my own modifications to them."  
  
"Fun," you clench and relax your hands. "How do they work?"  
  
"Just imagine, and it should work. That's how the Unending works, after all," Weiss says.   
  
"That doesn't help," you frown.  
  
"It'll make sense," Weiss says, before taking a pair of long, white boots out of the impossibly small box. Holy shit those things go up to your knees! How--?? Nevermind. The how isn't important.  
  
What IS important... "Why the fuck do those boots have metal bars along the back to the heels?"  
  
"They're Long Fall Boots," Weiss smiles. "And they stop you from falling to your death. You'll always land on your feet like a cat, and never take momentum damage either."  
  
"That's bullshit."  
  
"That's the Unending's Magic."  
  
"Okay, can't argue there." You put the boots on.  
  
"That said," Weiss continues, "I don't think the two of us are getting through that gauntlet of defenses separately. We'll have to consolodate into a slimmer form."  
  
"How's that?" You ask, before there's a flash of light, and Weiss is suddenly not a person anymore, but a silver, gleaming rapier with a fucking revolver barrel built into the hilt. "Uhhh.... What?"  
  
A.M. rolls on the ground next to it for a moment before unfolding four small legs and flipping upright.  
  
Because it has legs.  
  
Of course it has legs.  
  
"Weiss turned herself into a sword!" A.M. explained. "Strap her to your back and lets get swinging!"  
  
You equip the sword, and sigh because the sword sticks to your back without a holster or anything else in the way of attaching it. "Okay. So now what."  
  
"Now?" A.M. crawls up your leg, "Now we climb!" around your back, "And then-" and settles onto your shoulder. _"We FLY and save the day! **With Style!"**_  
  
"Great," you roll your eyes, and start marching into the ruined city, looking for a place to start your ASCENT.  
  


* * *

  
  
You're Keiko Ayano, and you finally find Minori sitting out on the edge of one of Atlantis' piers.  
  
You're so far out from the edge of the city that you had to resort to using the life signs detector to check for her.  
  
You sit down next to Minori, and ask, "Sooo... Whatcha doin'?"  
  
"Did Silica send you?" Minori asks, tiredly.  
  
"Nah, I came lookin' for you on my own," you answer. "You're a hard Sylph to find, Minori. Not in the Infirmary, or anywhere in the city..."  
  
"Yeah, I just... needed some time." Minori sighs. "You know how that is, right?"  
  
You 'mmhmm' and nod in agreement. "Yeah, sure, but... In the future, atleast let someone know where you're going, alright?"  
  
Minori nods. "Alright. Yeah. That's fair enough."  
  
There's a few moments of silence, and then Minori asks... "So... did you come here to ask me about my nightmares too?"  
  
"Not unless you want to talk about it," you say. "I'm here to talk if you do, but otherwise... I can just sit here? Or I can leave, if you want me to go, too."  
  
"I think... I'd like the company," Minori answers, nodding her head.   
  
"Alright then," you nod.  
  


* * *

  
  
Lightning cracked and _**kathoomed**_ atop the Citadel Spire- the whole city surrounding it making for a trippy, surreal scene. Buildings floating around as gravity failed to function in a way that was expected of normal physics- remnants of various Noble Phantasms stolen from other timelines twisted and turned in the air- pieces of technology similar to the Aerial Faith Plate seen earlier hung all around in their orbits- solid walls and other things were coated in various, sticky substances of orange and blue hues.  
  
It made for an Ominous, Imposing Sight, and Marvus Xoloto stood atop it all marveling.  
  
Behind him, the Vance woman was working on configuring the device they needed for its final multi-dimensional portal stint. She had a few visible burn scars on her face from some incident Marvus cared nothing to learn about.  
  
The business suited clown who'd put Marvus onto the scheme to jump dimensions in the first place, had pulled him off of the Wraith Hiveship before it exploded, and had also put he and that burned Vance woman into this dimension was nowhere to be seen, despite this being all at the behest of his 'contractual obligations.' He'd vanished some time ago upon "Sensing a disturbance in the space time continuum" and hadn't returned.  
  
Well, it didn't matter, either way.  
  
Marvus turned to face his prisoners... his sacrifices.  
  
Two Alternian women raising a Grub together. How cute. Both glared at him from within the cage he'd summoned around them.   
  
The Bronze Blood was spitting out some rather fierce rhetoric that Marvus was shocked. He'd thought some of that vocabulary had been phased out way back in the days of the Summoner's Revolt!  
  
She'd been yelling and spewing vitriol at him non stop the entire time.  
  
Then there was the Jade Blood held a young Acolyte in her arms- a Purple Blood who'd been denied his rightful heritage of Clowndom. She glared murder at him every time he so much as gazed at the silent boy.   
  
Resentment for his trickery of them. Telling them he had a cure for a common cold- a lie, of course, but one they'd been tempted by.   
  
Marvus turned his attention to poor Lynera- Elwurd's supposed Matesprit. She who'd gone insane during their brief stint inside the perpetually exploding Mofang Cruiser.   
  
Placing her here in the Unending had been a smart move. Lynera's fractured mindstate was being knit back together under the pressure of hundreds of alternate selves. Visibly, she had already stopped shaking in terror of everything, stopped clinging to everything like a child scared of the world.  
  
The Damage Elwurd's stunt had caused was being undone.  
  
Marvus knew from his own experience how the mind began to stabilize.  
  
There were many Marvuses out there in the Multiverse. Many who saw themselves as heroes, many who saw themselves as villains, many who saw themselves as nothing but show runners and didn't care about those who died.   
  
There were even quite a few who'd intereacted with some strange, non-entity of an alien and had some discussions of doomed timelines and the such as reality unraveled around them.  
  
Were he a weaker Marvus Xoloto, Marvus may have leaned more firmly into those more friendly interpretations of his own sense of self.   
  
But as it was he was a Marvus Xoloto who was able to draw firmly from a Marvus Xoloto who had served within the Alternian Empire with proud, and long sourced success. He who had served Commander Naihte, and HER IMPERIAL CONDESCENSION personall aboard HER IMPERIAL CRUISER.   
  
He drew upon those memories for strength, for reassurance, and for PLANNING.  
  
He didn't plan to suffer the plans of that suited clown any longer than it took to open a permanent gateway between this dimension and others. Once he had a firm gateway between the different universes... Oh, it would be far, far too easy to take it all over.  
  
He was a Marvus Xoloto who knew the greatest show of all was the one where he pulled the strings of everything, even if it may seem to have been retroactively.  
  
And then that's when the damned music started as a random, half destroyed Noble Phantasm floated by, and bumped into the remains of another.

* * *

[ **[S] Daraya: Ascend** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPO0uXYflqg)

The camera pulled back and away from the Citadel's top, careening over towards the side of a ruined skyscraper that Daraya Jonjet was busy climbing up the side of like a spider.  
  
 **[Two thousand off thermomenters, two thousand surrounding us, Travel two thousand kilometers to hang out with us.]**  
  
She scowled, gazing up at the Citadel, as A.M. reported an increase of exotic energy.  
  
 **[What's up, Danger?]**  
  
She was running out of time, and needed to hurry.  
  
 **[What's up, Danger?]**  
  
And so Daraya Climbed up towards the roof.  
  
 **[Ayy, gettin' old, they doubted us. Makes it that more than Marvelous.]**  
  
She climbed onto the roof, and then immediately took a running leap towards the side of a taller building nearby.  
  
 **[Sign 'em up 'cause I'm on this vibes and I get Synonymous.]**  
  
She landed on the side, and began scrambling up the top of it for its roof next.  
  
 **[What's up, Danger? Ayy, Don't be a Stranger!]**  
  
The camera bolts back towards the top of the Citadel, settling into view on Lynera as she sat at the edge of everything, gazing down into the City below.  
  
 **['Cause I like high chances that I might lose.]**  
  
Her eyes caught a gleam of light on the side of a building.  
  
 **[I like it all on the edge just like you, ayy]**  
  
Lynera squinted through her cracked glasses, and saw Daraya climbing up its side.  
  
 **[I like tall buildings so I can leap off of them]**  
  
...Lynera supposed she should tell Marvus or Alex...  
  
 **[I go hard wit' it no matter how dark it is]**  
  
...But instead she continued to watch Daraya climb.  
  
 **[I'm insane but on my toes, I could keep the world balanced on my nose.]**  
  
Daraya leaped off of the side of that building, and caught onto the side of a piece of floating structure.  
  
 **[I had a slumber party wit' all my foes, now I wear them like a badge of honor on my clothes.]**  
  
She floated upwards, being taken higher than she could climb on her own.  
  
 **[If I'm crazy, I'm on my own.]**  
  
A.M. chirped another energy spike, and Daraya's eyes narrowed as she caught sight of another piece of higher debris--  
  
 **[If I'm waiting, it's on my throne.]**  
  
With a flick of a golden burst of gravity energy from her wrist- she pulled herself towards it with a swing.  
  
 **[If I sound Lazy, just ignore my tone.]**  
  
She landed on that debris, and rode it higher, and higher...  
  
 **['Cause I'm always goonna answer when you call my phone.]**  
  
Lynera observed it, adjusted her glasses... and gave a faint smile.

 **[Like What's Up, Danger?]**  
  
Marvus began show boating for his prisoners behind her.  
  
 **[Like What's Up, Danger?]**  
  
Alex Vance scowled as she powered on the next stage of the portal machines.  
  
 **[Don-don't be a stra~~anger.]**  
  
Daraya lined up her next shot, and leaped...  
  
 **[What's Up, Danger?]**  
  
...And then she landed with a roll atop the tallest remaining building that wasn't floating.  
  
Lightning bolts flared off all around as Daraya looked upwards towards the top of the Citadel, and began charting her course in her head.   
  
A bounce there, a swing there, and... all it would take...  
  
 **[Two hundred miles with a blindfold on. Mom always asking "Where did I go wrong?"]**  
  
Daraya moved to the edge of the building and peered over the edge...  
  
 **[What's up, Danger?]**  
  
All it would take was an insane amount of momentum.  
  
 **[Ah, What's up danger?]**  
  
She steeled herself...  
  
 **[Traveled two hundred miles, I'm knocking at your door!]**  
  
Lynera didn't take her eyes off of the figure sure to cause their plans trouble...  
  
 **[And I don't really care if you ain't done wrong,]**  
  
...But did Lynera really want to be invovled in any of this anymore?  
  
 **[Come on, What's up, Danger?]**  
  
She glanced over at a scowling Bronya...  
  
 **[Don't be a Stranger.]**  
  
Then over towards a crate with a crowbar on it not too far away.  
  
 **[I like it when trouble brews, I won't dare change.]**  
  
Lynera stood, and began to walk around. Everyone ignored her.  
  
 **[I like it when there's turbulence on my airplanes.]**  
  
Everyone save for little Karako, who gazed out with a pair of alert, blinking eyes.  
  
 **[I like it when I assess things that I can't see yet.]**  
  
Alex finished her work, and stood to observe.  
  
 **[Swimmin' with sharks they ain't feed yet.]**  
  
The Blue Orb above them flared- and split into two portals of blue hue- one showed the Hunting Grounds, and the other...  
  
 **['Cause I like high chances that I might lose.]**  
  
The other showed Cheyenne Mountain.  
  
 **[I like it all on the edge just like you, ayy]**  
  
Daraya stood as far back as she could...  
  
 **[I like tall buildings so I can leap off of them]**  
  
And then she RAN for the edge and LEAPED.  
  
 **[I go hard wit' it no matter how dark it is]**  
  
And with a twist in the air, she threw herself head first towards the ground while aiming her gloves upwards... aiming for a piece of debris that wasn't just quite yet in her range...  
  
 _ **[OooOooh!]**_  
  
A.M. blared out alerts of reaching excessive speeds and terminal velocity...  
  
 ** _[OooOooh!]_**  
  
But to Daraya, it didn't feel like she was falling. Not yet.  
  
 **[If I'm crazy, I'm on my own.]**  
  
No, she was ascending higher and higher.   
  
**[If I'm waiting, it's on my throne.]**  
  
This was the Unending, and if she SAID was flying Upwards-  
  
 **[If I sound Lazy, just ignore my tone.]**  
  
-Then she sure as HELL was flying Upwards!!!  
  
 **['Cause I'm always goonna answer when you call my phone.]**  
  
The Debris came into view- golden strings of energy shot outwards.  
  
 _ **[Like What's Up, Danger?]**_  
  
They flew faster than gravity could pull her down.  
  
 ** _[Like What's Up, Danger?]_**  
  
They connected, and Daraya grinned as all of her momentum went from downwards to sidewards just before she hit the ground and then she swung towards the Citadel and then she moved---  
  
 _ **[Can't Stop Me Now!]**_  
  
UPWARDS.  
  
 ** _[(Traveled two hundred miles, I'm knocking at your door!)]_**  
  
The side of the Citadel whooshed by in a blur as Daraya threw her legs together and held on for dear life.  
  
 _ **[(And I don't really care if you ain't done wrong,)]**_  
  
She dismissed her grab at the top of her swing to connect to another point-  
  
 ** _[I said, 'I got You Now!']_**  
  
And Swung again, higher and higher.  
  
 _ **[(Come on, What's up, Danger?)]**_  
  
She aimed for a spring plate-  
  
 ** _[(Don't be a Stranger.)]_**  
  
And kicked off of it with a grin as it flung her ahead at greater speeds.  
  
 _ **[I'm right here at your door!]**_  
  
She hit another- redirected higher.  
  
 ** _[I want in, I want more!]_**  
  
-Another, and another-  
  
 **[What's Up, Danger?]**  
  
From any on the ground she was a blure of glowing golden light bouncing from plate to plate.  
  
 **[Yeah, What's Up, Danger?]**  
  
 _ **"AWOOOOOOO!"**_ Daraya Howled as she ROSE HIGHER- glowing wings of golden light spreading from her back in the shape of Atlantis' City Piers.  
  
 ** _{Can't Stop me Now!]_**  
  
Marvus spun around to face that direction-  
  
 _ **[('Cause I like high chances that I might lose.)]**_  
  
Alex and Bronya and Skylla all whirled to look.  
  
 **[YEAH!]**  
  
Daraya overshot them and backflipped overhead, letting A.M. and the back-sheathed sword drop away during the arc to be forgotten about.  
  
 _ **[(I like it all on the edge just like you, ayy)]**_  
  
She hit another faith plate and bounced towards the glowing energy reactor that was generating those portals-  
  
 ** _[(I like tall buildings so I can leap off of them)]_**  
  
With a string of golden light- she snatched away the center piece of three critical focusing lenses-  
  
 _ **[(I go hard wit' it no matter how dark it is)]**_  
  
Both Portals Snapped Shut-  
  
 ** _[Come on, What's Up, Danger??]_**  
  
And with a hop skip and a quick grinding wave of sparks from the heels of the long fall boots, Daraya stuck the landing perfectly at the edge of the tower's top platform with that critical glass piece held firmly in one hand.   
  
"....Daraya?" Bronya stared in awe.   
  
"Holy shit- where did she come from!?" Skylla stared on.  
  
"Oh, great," Alex crossed her arms over her chest and glared. "We've got a wolf-spider alien now."  
  
"Well!" Marvus quickly squashed his flustered, confused stare for a show runer's grin. "I'll say that's the most impressive audition I've ever seen in any of my lives!"  
  
"Oh, stuff it, you overly muscular clown!" Daraya snapped back. "Shut down the rest of that portal device, or I'll shut it down for you!"  
  
"Or maybe you could put back that focusing lense and we won't kill you?" Alex demanded, drawing her handgun and aimining it at Daraya.   
  
Only Daraya saw A.M. scurry around the opened side panel of the device that Alex had been working on, and Weiss emerge from the sword, which remained where it landed until she picked it up and began sneaking over.  
  
"Yeah, what makes you think I'm scared of a gun for?" Daraya asks, narrowing her eyes at the weapon-- or rather, the person standing behind the person holding it.  
  
"Last I checked, we've got you outnumbered three to one, and I have a gun," Alex pointed out. "Give us the focusing lense."  
  
"That'd be where you're wrong!" Daraya grinned.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Alex asked, scowling.  
  
"Ahhem," Weiss coughed politely, pointing the tip of the sword right at Alex's neck, just lightly poking enough to make the sensation felt. "That would be me."  
  
Marvus laughed as Alex froze. "That's still three to two!"  
  
Daraya eyed Lynera, who picked up the crowbar from its box and hefted it into the air.  
  
Daraya raised an eyebrow, and said, "Sure, I suppose it is..."  
  
Lynera had a sane-ness to her eyes that Daraya wasn't sure had been there in years even before Joey had arrived on Alternia.  
  
Lynera nodded.  
  
"But," Daraya asked, "is that two to three in your favor, or mine?"  
  
Well, Daraya had taken a leap of faith just to get up here. Might as well give it a chance here and now.  
  
"FINE!" Daraya yelled, lifting the lense up. "Take your stupid glass Reflecting Disk!" And then she hurled it like a frisbee towards Lynera with a gravity infused blast of propulsion ( _ **PCHTHWAM!!**_ ). "BATTER UP!"  
  
Marvus had no room or time to intercept, and could only stare on as the glass focusing lense went flying at speed and came crashing into the crowbar as Lynera swung it.

Glass shattered.  
  


* * *

  
"Rodney, what the hell?" Your name is Jennifer Keller, and you swear as you see the bloody, glass ridden mess that is Rodney Mckay's right hand.  
  
"Apparently my forcefield doesn't protect me if I break a glass with my own grip while the glass was in my hand when the forcefield went up in the first place," Rodney grouches, sitting on a bed. "Go Figure."  
  
"I'll say! That's a lot of glass!" You huff, and begin the lengthy process of plucking glass out of Rodney's hand.  
  
Still, atleast it's not you having to patch up Ronon after he busted his skull open in training again. 

* * *

"Well, okay, so you got Lynera, somehow," Marvus sighed, dramatically. "I guess that means it's in your favor. But really, man. I can just whip up another one of those disks easy peasy. It's the Unending. I can just Noble Phantasam up another one like pie."  
  
 _ **"Oh Shut Up You Fucking Bastard!"**_ Lynera shouted-- oddly, her voice echoed with different tones as if someone had recorded the same line multiple times and overlaid all the different takes together.  
  
You are Daraya Jonjet and, Ooh. That's... Probably not a good sign for Lynera given what this place does to you with memories.  
  
 _"I never asked to be taken out and paraded around like this! I didn't ask for you to 'save' me and I sure as FUCK didn't ask Elwurd to fucking BLOW US ALL UP the way she did either!"_ Lynera snaps, pointing the Crowbar at the buff looking clown. _**"And now I've got fifteen billion different versions of myself cramed inside this skull of mine and It's a MIRACLE I'm even sane enough to talk right now!"**_  
  
"I told you bringing her here was a bad idea!" Alex protested- still with a sword point to her neck.  
  
"Lynera-" Bronya started.  
  
 _ **"DON'T!"** _Lynera glanced at her sharply. _"Not. Yet._ I'm Still Juggling about a hundred different mes _who want to kiss you_ **and a hundred more who want to kill you** so _let's just fucking get through this first standoff first, alright?"_  
  
Marvus can't help but laugh, and you and Weiss share uncomfortable glances.  
  
Weiss mouths "Ultimate Self" and god you don't even need the Info Dump because fucking hell.  
  
The Unending has a tendency to shove memories of other yous into your head. It's like a resonance sort of thing. If you're sane enough going in you can probably hold it all together, but after the trauma Lynera went through, reliving the same few minutes and hours over and over and over again until Joey's team put an end to it?  
  
She wasn't anywhere near sane. She'd been getting there, last time you'd checked in on her at Cryptarium, but... Nowhere near stable enough for THIS PLACE. And like, her Aspect probably is bound to it weirdly too.   
  
Good grief, what even was Lynera's Aspect bind again? ...Rage? You think it was Rage. Yeah, VIRIBORN. Sign of The Stringent. Rage bound are bringers of chaos. Yeah.  
  
Lynera's certainly a chaotic agent right about now, you'd say.  
  
Atleast she has a blunt instrument of bludgeoning instead of a sharp knife- wait, fuck no, that's not any better!  
  
"Now then," Weiss starts. "Shall we shut down this portal generator or not?"  
  
"I'd say not," Marvus laughs. Alex looks uncomfortable because of it. "Any minute now that Fancy Press-suited Joker's gonna come waltzing in and-"  
  
"Okay so you're not going to surrender, we do this the hard way then," Weiss interjects- "A.M.! Transform and Roll Out!"  
  
The passcode passes through everyones ears before there's suddenly this sound of shifting metal and gears and- Oh, that's the telltale grinding creak of something about to-  
  
Suddenly, tiny little A.M. isn't so tiny and bursts out of the middle of the device that it'd crawled into like it's the fucking Kool-Aid Man. That is, if the Kool-Aid Man was the size of a car _ **\- WHIRRRR CLICK CLICK CLICK!-**_ And had the ability to unfold a rediculous set of Machine guns.  
  
Two sets of barrels to each of the four weapons- two vertical in orientation nearest to the now RED glowing eye port that were swaying left and right, searching for targets; and two horizontal in orientation, tilting up and down from their angle points attached to the ludicrously sized magazine barrels which fed both sets of guns.  
  
All of the guns narrowed in towards Marvus, and A.M. exclaimed with a FAR too energetic and cute voice- _**"TARGET ACQUIRED!"**_  
  
The Portal Machine proceeded to spark and explode dramatically behind the super sized orb of doom.  
  
The residual portal energy above you faded out, and the thundering storms around you went silent.  
  
Marvus just stared at A.M., and whined, "Oh come on! Four to Two!? That's just cheating!"  
  
"I believe the proper ratio is Two to One," Weiss corrected, "But even so. We didn't come here to lose, Clown. Now surrender or Miss Vance here loses her-"  
  
And then the world seemed to skip a beat- you swear you saw a pale, snake like man in a dark blue business suit for a moment- and Alex Vance suddenly vanished from sight.  
  
"What the-?" Weiss stared on in shock.  
  
 _"Uh oh,"_ Marvus winces. "Suit guy took her and left us behind."  
  
"Why's that an Uh-oh?" You ask.  
  
"Because Alex was generating the City 17 Noble Phantasam that we're standing on, _Duh!"_ Lynera exclaimed, annoyed, before suddenly looking scared. **"Oh. Fuck.** We're standing ontop of it and-"  
  
The Ground suddenly lurched beneath your feet, and you dared look over your shoulder back the way you came.  
  
Buildings were evaporating into clouds of golden particles.  
  
"Aw, Dip," you lament for no particular reason other than that some alternate human self of yours found it an appropriate thing to lament.  
  
Then, there wasn't any time to react, because Gravity was suddenly pulling downwards as the Citadel itself exploded into golden particles of non existence.  
  
 _ **"FUUUUUCKKKKK YOOOOOUUUU, VAAAAAAANCEEE!!!!"** _Lynera yelled, and, quite honestly?  
  
 _Mood._

* * *

  
  
The residents of Diaspora's Villien Village were shocked out of their daily routine as an explosion of golden smoke resonated from somewhere in the forest outside their village.  
  
But we aren't focusing on them.  
  
No, we're focusing on those who suddenly went from falling to displaced back into the Diaspora forests after being ejected from the Unending for sheer health and safety reasons.  
  
Coughing ensued as Bronya, Skylla, and Lynera tried to withstand the sudden transition back to quote unqote "real space" as golden particle of energy transformed into smoke instead.  
  
Karako just clapped his hands, giggling in the whispery silent way he seemed to do. Nearby, a restored to normal Snowball sized A.M. rolled back up into a sphere form, gibbering about a system reset.  
  
"Fuck! Weiss!" Daraya called out. "Weiss! Shit! Fuck! Where is she!?"  
  
Once the smoke cleared, it was clear that Weiss was nowhere to be found, but more concerningly, neither was Marvus Xoloto.  
  
All that could be found was the broken blade of Weiss's sword utterly bathed in the clown's purple blood.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Wanshi Adyata, and you can only stare on in something akin to horror and astonishment at the quartet of girls and one tiny troll sitting before you.  
  
"Well," you say, taking in Bronya and Skylla's roughed up clothing, and the twigs and leaves sticking out of Lynera's hair and her broken glasses, and....  
  
And whatever the hell bizzaro tech Daraya has on her hands and legs that make her look like she just ran a fucking marathon in space or something.  
  
"I can honestly say," you shake your head. "I really wasn't expecting any of this when I got a call to hurry over here and make a medical exam."  
  
You kneel down to look at the tiny tot of a wriggler nolonger wriggling. Karako gazes up at you, a happy gleam in his eyes.   
  
Awh, what a cutie.  
  
Wait, no, first and foremost!  
  
You look at Bronya, and before you can get a word out- your big sister archetype smiles and apologizes.  
  
"I'm sorry we vanished suddenly like that. It really wasn't that long ago from our perspective, just a few days... We really didn't mean to leave you hanging like that."  
  
"Time gets really screwy in the Unending," Skylla adds with a faint nod.  
  
"Well," you huff. "Apology Accepted, then. Since it really wasn't your fault anyways. Just please keep me in the loop next time you plan on stepping out on some kind of mystic adventure, alright?"  
  
Bronya nods. "Of course!"  
  
"It was pretty stupid not to say what we were doin' in the first place," Skylla sighed.  
  
You want to ask why they were out there for, but you hesitate.   
  
...Fuck it, you ask anyways, and Bronya answers.  
  
"Oh, Karako caught a cold. But before we went out into the forest to fetch some herbs to help him get over it faster," Bronya answered, "we, uh... heard there was a traveling merchant who was selling cold remedy based on those herbs, so... Uh..."  
  
"We went out to the shady clown driven wagon for medicine without even thinking about how it could be a trap," Skylla concludes. "Miracle Cure my ass! Karako got over it just fine on his own within a night of us being in the Unending!"  
  
You can only blink and say, "Okay." Because honestly, that wasn't what you were expecting. "Meanwhile," you look to Lynera. "Aren't you supposed to be in Cryptarium?"  
  
"Marvus strikes again. I'll be going back soon enough anyways. I liked it there and I was getting some good help and was making progress... That I'll probably need to start all over on again now that my whole situation's changed," Lynera huffed, embarassed in a way you haven't seen her in...  
  
Uh.  
  
A very long time, if ever?? You honestly can't remember.  
  
"We already talked about it before you got here," Daraya elabroates. "Apparently she's got who knows how many alt-self copies floating around inside her head now. Sure, she's not suffering from all the bullshit that put her in Cryptarium in the first place, but it's not fading for her like it did the rest of us. And given what that shit did to Ford?"  
  
"I know I need help on that front," Lynera says. "About seventeen mes wound up on Atlantis in similar situations that Daraya's went through in this world with regards to Aiden Ford, and his Heart Aspect Bullshittery. I'm barely holding it together right now and I know he didn't at all with the Enzyme messing with his head to start with."  
  
"Yeeah, that's a whole boat load of topics I'm not going to ask about any time soon," Daraya flinched.  
  
"I'm not going to touch on that because what the fuck experience do I even have to say on that?" You ask.  
  
"Same here," Skylla nodded.  
  
"Even just a few stray thoughts from other mes was really disconcerting," Bronya says. "I can't imagine what it's like having hundreds or thousands of other selves jammed in there at once."  
  
You have no idea how to respond to any of this, except to place a hand on your head, and lament, "Geeze, I feel a neon icecream sized headache coming on just trying to think about all of this!"   
  
And then the Tiny Green Robot Thing on a nearby table reboots and exclaims _"HELLO!"_ at a high enough decibell rating to make you shriek in surprise:

_"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Paying Homage to one of THE greatest animated leap of faith sequences in the last decade there with the Whats Up Danger sequence.
> 
> It's also nodding to Half Life: Alyx, that is a thing that is going to be happening. Gravity Gloves as Web Shooters? Sure, why not! It works in a place like the Unending, because. HAHA. WOW. This place is PURE OP and IMAAAAAAAGIIIINATTIIIOOOOON!!! XD
> 
> \---
> 
> The "Adorable Monster" Mobile Turret Core is an original design of mine based on PORTAL concepts. Take a Turret, and a Personality Core, put them together, give them a variable size-shifting mechanic, and then give 'em four legs instead of three. Also, add puppy ears for cuteness. 
> 
> Similarly, Portal 2's Long Fall Boots get used here too, as well as the AERIAL FAITH PLATES. 
> 
> \---
> 
> Minori's suffering some nightmares from the whole Hunting Grounds thing. Good thing Keiko's there being the good sister in law offering some sympathy of shared pain from that place. 
> 
> Keiko really oughta have been in that 2Parter, I'm now realizing. Oh Well. Myst opportunities and the like. Heh.
> 
> \---
> 
> Daraya gets a heavy focus episode again, and we tie it all in with Lynera and Marvus- the remaining dangling threads from the whole Elwurd Crew thing. Lynera got Ult Self'd in the Unending, and Marvus once more escapes into the unknown, but atleast we start to get some vague ideas of HOW he got involved with the whole 'cross dimensional migration' thing to begin with, and the same goes to Ozma as well.
> 
> It aaaaall ties back to that wily G-Man who escaped the Borealis crash way back when. Man, talk about a brick joke waiting to land. Stupid clowns.
> 
> \---
> 
> I was highly tempted to touch on Karako's grub-stage mute-mutation, but I decided I didn't A: Have any experience necessary to talk on the subject properly, and B: Feel comfortable with what I HAD written on the subject, and so scrapped that section entirely. 
> 
> \---
> 
> Weiss is out there, somewhere. Wily Ascendants out and about being loose threads not wanting to be tied down. Bluh! 
> 
> \---
> 
> Next Episode: MINISODE: Strip Chess.
> 
> Featuring a look in at Dave and Karkat.


	11. MINISODE: Strip Chess.

**EARTH DATE: OCTOBER 2ND, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 04/13/0007.**  
  
Your name is Davis Strider, and as you twirl a pencil around your fingers while you wait for your romantic partner to make his next move in chess, you can't help but feel that you're missing out on some big adventure somewhere.  
  
You get this feeling every time you're stuck just waiting for people to show up. Like, hey, tick tock, time is wasting kids, gotta get a move on and do something with your life soon because otherwise someone else is going to get that adventure done before you and then where will you be but waiting more and more and-  
  
Look. It's a Time Aspect Thing and it's only gotten worse since you could actually TIME TRAVEL. Like. It's not hard math, really.  
  
You gaze at Karkat- your boy toy- your love of your life- your utterly slow ass opponent at chess on this one fine freaking day when you could be doing literally anything else but PLAYING CHESS RIGHT NOW.  
  
GEEZE, KARKAT. READ THE ROOM??  
  
It also doesn't help that it's your mutual day off work, and you've both decided to spend it in the bedroom.  
  
Playing.  
  
Chess.

Okay, so it's SPEED STRIP CHESS, admittedly, but the point stands.  
  
It's chess, and here he is being exceedingly slow at choosing his moves.  
  
Finally, Karkat smirks, and he moves his Knight into-

"Checkmate."  
  
"Oh Come on!" You lament. "What took you so long!?"  
  
"I was trying to figure out if there was any way to extend the game any, but alas," Karkat shrugged. "You lose this match, again, Strider. Take off those pants!"  
  
You level Karkat with as flat of a gaze as you can manage before doing just that.  
  
This is the slowest game of strip ANYTHING that you've ever played.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: MINISODE: Catching up with Claire, 2.  
> \---  
> Short scene, checking in with Dave an' Karkat. 
> 
> Not much else to say here. It was going to be part of a larger chapter but it just wouldn't fit in with the pacing or mood of anything else around it. Soooo.... Yeah. Davekat standalone scene.


	12. MINISODE: Catching up with Claire, 2.

**EARTH DATE: OCTOBER 12TH, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 04/23/0007.**  
  
Karako and Toko were thoroughly engrossed with the cartoon on the television as Bronya and Joey sat at the dining table in the other room.  
  
You, on the other hand, are Skylla Koriga, and you're on kid watch duty, mulling over the many events you've been absent for while doodling and sketching.  
  
The future certainly isn't what you thought it'd be all those thousands of years ago when you agreed to travel forwards in time on a whim.  
  
Sure, you could have stayed and died and been a footnote in history but...  
  
Time is a weird thing like that.   
  
And thus, watching the kids watch a show being slightly boring as it is, you find yourself sketching out patterns for a cube with an engraved design, just because you can. You've got a sly hunch that the cube came from some distant alt-self memory you picked up from the Unending, but you can't really figure out just what the hell it actually is, or what that you was doing with it, if that was the case.  
  
Even so. Six complex designs, carved into a cube with a single paired set of two lines and two lines only. And there's probably no symbolic significance to that fact at all.  
  
Maybe you'll take up sculpting? Or carving? Modeling? Whatever the term is that'd let you make something like this.  
  
Certainly would be something more interesting to do than sit and farm all day back in the Villein village.

* * *

You are Joey Claire, and once more you find yourself musing on the UNENDING.  
  
Not for the first time or the last, for that matter, and especially not in regards to Bronya and Skylla's encounter with the world-space.  
  
What even is the nature of a place like that, save that it's an unlimited well of creative potential made manifest?  
  
You'd hoped that you'd never have to figure out what that puzzle actually was. You'd hoped, almost certainly naievely, that your encounter with that place would have been a one and done, 'gee, that was weird, let's forget it ever happened' sort of thing.  
  
But talking with Bronya about her experiences- about some of her memories of the her that was accompanying the you whose bracelet you'd destroyed- Joey... Lalonde, wasn't it?- and whose charges, Kanaya and Aradia, had decide to stay here- and learning of fates not your own, but intrinsically linked to your own future never the less...  
  
It's a sobering experience to put things in perspective. Learning that the other you had gone and potentially gotten herself killed in an attempt to steal the Bracelet belonging to another dimension's Joey to regain some measure of her powers...  
  
While Bronya's alt-self memories imply that the Lalonde you had visibly gotten killed in the process, the simple fact of the matter is that the specific memories that were gained had that Bronya NOT see a body afterwards. Not even any dust from a disintegration! Something... about the whole thing just feels off to you.   
  
And you've since learned that a lack of a corpse to confirm can mean that a person is alive just as much as it means they're dead. Sometimes even then- a corpse might not even mean they're dead.   
  
Resurrection and reincarnation and cloning and all sorts of shenanigans have been a thing, after all.  
  
You don't envy the you who fought back with intent to kill, nor do you envy the position Gordon Freeman is in now, knowing that Alex Vance and that bastard G-Man are still around, tugging at strings.  
  
You and Gordon have been emailing since Bronya and Skylla came back, and Daraya reported about the incident to Okurii, O'neill, and Woolsey. You've been planning contingencies and all sorts of ideas of how to deal with this situation...  
  
But it's not an easy thing to figure out, so far away from Atlantis like this.  
  
...You're really starting to wish you'd taken up the job of running the place. You get the feeling that's where all the action is going to be, going forwards.  
  
And Dammek and Callie are there already too... Tyzias and Daraya and Mallek... Polypa, Tegiri...   
  
Your team has GATHERED there.   
  
You think you feel the CALL.   
  
Perhaps you should GATHER there as well?  
  
You're going to figure out how to get that going. Talk with Xefros a few times. Maybe...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: INTERMISSION: A Series of Unfortunate Checkins.  
> \---  
> The Cube Skylla is referencing is for another project of mine. A call forwards to something that may not ever see the light of day. It's Time Related so the Time Bound Skylla naturally gets to make the nod.
> 
> Joey's going to go to Atlantis. Just give her time.
> 
> Speaking of ol' Joey Lalonde, yes, she's going to make an appearance down the road. Episode by the title of "The Queen." Bit further down the line, that one.


	13. INTERMISSION: A Series of Unfortunate Check-Ins.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Reader Requested Checkins this chapter, as well as some checkins that nobody requested what so ever because of PLOT reasons.

**EARTH DATE: OCTOBER 15TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 04/26/0007.**  
  
You are SAKAMOTO SHINONOME, and you've had... a very turbulent life.  
  
Losing Astore as you raised her sister, gaining her again only to lose her to her ambitions, and then her Father's own sword...  
  
Still, Hakase is doing... so very well in life. School, making friends, living life. She's following after the example her big sister, your biological daughter NANO, is setting, and you're nothing short of proud and fatherly.  
  
...You just wish that Astore and Titania could see her grow. Become someone neither world had seen before. A Fae Princess whose inteligence was sure to place her in the top tier rung of inventors and scientists once she finished growing up and graduated from school.  
  
With the transition from Aincrad to the Unwritten, and the impending shift to inter dimensional exploration... The Unwritten is sure to need people like Hakase moving forwards.  
  
You've taken up a job in unifying the security forces across various floors, which mostly consists of solidifying and unifying a few different castle ships worth of differing rule sets. You're thankfully not dealing with a whole couple planet's worth of people at once.  
  
That Colonel Sheppard from another dimension is helping out in that matter, specifically. And honestly, you're amazed that everything's just been kinda peachy after the whole rush to get the Unwritten built and escaping from the Aschen.   
  
Sure, there's still tons of work to do to get everything put into order, but Miss Aiikho and her various teams have been working hard to ensure it all moves smoothly.   
  
It's amazing what can get done when people work together.  
  
That said, getting them TO work together is a whole other problem. Freaking rule sets are giving you a headache.  
  
At least this Dimension is fairly rich in Magical energy. You'd noticed with the earlier back and forth from Aincrad to Alfheim, but it's like night and day now how PURE the magic is here. Uncorrupted. Untainted.   
  
You'll miss Alfheim for various reasons, but you don't miss the curse poisoned air.  
  
It's not even really a Curse though, was it? Close enough for the terminology to be used without hassle, but still.   
  
You do wish that those who are gone could see what you've made, but it's nothing that you can really do anything about now, is it?  
  
You shake your head. That's enough digression for one day. You get back to work. These various security rulesets won't straighten out themselves, after all.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Mikari Aiikho, and you finally get what feels like a few moments to yourself in... what has been a very long time.  
  
You have such a headache, but it's not from annoyance of the job, no, not really.  
  
You're just bone dead tired.  
  
And thus, as you crash into bed with a full three days blocked out for personal rest and relaxation for yourself and your main crew...  
  
You can't help but be a bit selfish and wonder what Argo is doing?  
  
...And then you take a trip directly into slumber town because YEAH. You are tired.

* * *

You are Argo Lalonde, and you stand overseeing the Gateroom as the stargate dials out.  
  
Woolsey is briefing AR-1 for their next mission. John gives you a smile as Woolsey informs him of everything you told him a few minutes ago, but atleast Woolsey's getting into the role properly.  
  
Doctor Nichols's team is an hour and fifteen minutes overdue for a scheduled check in, and fearing the worst, a team is being dispatched immediately to investigate.   
  
"Shouldn't we be concerned for Doctor Nichols's team?" Teyla asks as the Stargate Kawooshes.  
  
AR-1 starts for the gate.  
  
"Nah, the settlement's a half-hour away from the Gate. He's supposed to check in every six, so Nichols is probably just tired of taking the rount trip hike."  
  
"We should be a little concerned though," Mckay says. "They didn't answer the radio hails we tried."  
  
"What- do you think they've been attacked by Wraith?" John asks before the team steps through the Gate.  
  
The wormhole shuts down a few moments later.  
  
Woolsey checks his watch, and then asks. "Argo, I think I'll risk heading down to Breakfast before they check in."  
  
"Yeah, you should have enough time to get back before they even make it to the village and back," you agree.  
  
"Right then! Be back in twenty minutes!" Woolsey starts to leave, and Lt. Amelia Banks chuckles from her console.

Then, the Stargate Dials in.  
  
Woolsey stops in his track.  
  
"Unscheduled Offworld Activation!" Banks reports.  
  
"Activate the shield!" You call out, and she does so.  
  
_**WAA WAA KAWOOOOSH!**_  
  
The Gate remains idle for a moment.  
  
"I'm not receiving an IDC," Banks starts, when the Radios buzz.  
  
And then you hear John cry out, gasping for breath. **"This is Sheppard! DO NOT LOWER THE SHIELD!** _I repeat,_ **Do NOT Lower the Shield! The Tower will be Flooded!"**  
  
"Flooded!?" Woolsey exclaims, shocked.  
  
You radio, "John? What's the situation?"  
  
_"Cold and Wet!"_ John radios back. _"The Stargate's Underwater. The Entire Valley's flooded AND it's Raining still!"_  
  
**_"AND IT'S FREEZING!"_ **Mckay interjects over the radio.  
  
_"We need you to send a Jumper through so we can stay warm until the water recedes,"_ John continues.  
  
You look to Banks, and she nods, typing away at her console.  
  
"Will do, John," you state. "We're sending a Jumper just as soon as the wormhole disengages."

* * *

_"Why isn't the Stargate Disengaging?"_ Woolsey's voice echoes over the radio.

You are John Sheppard, and the night sky of M44-5Y9 would be pretty if you, Ronon, Teyla, and Mckay weren't clinging, freezing and soaking wet, atop the part of the Stargate that's above the water.  
  
"The-The Water," Mckay answers- chattering. "The constant pressure's forcing the wormhole to stay open which means we're going to have to w-wait the maximum amount of time for it to-"  
  
"Use the Emergency Shut Down!" You interject. "Like with the Lava. We CANNOT wait 38 minutes for you to send someone through to get us warm."  
  
_"Roger that,"_ Argo replies. _"Initiating Callie's Emergency Shutdown Program in three, two-"_  
  
The Gate shuts down.  
  
**"I TOLD YOU** we should have been worried!" Mckay exclaims.  
  
"Keep your mouth closed or you'll let all the hot air out of your mouth!" Ronon barks.  
  
Mckay tries to laugh, but it's wet and sounds more like a sob.  
  
"Just hold on, everyone!" You say. "We'll be dry soon enough!"  
  
"I dunno!" Mckay starts. "I think I'm wetter than you!"  
  
"I Swam for the DHD!" You counter, astonished.  
  
"What about the Research Camp?" Teyla asks.  
  
The Stargate starts to light up beneath you, and you advise everyone to clear their legs.  
  
Ronon goes for his Radio. "Research Camp, this is Ronon Dex of AR-1. Please Respond?"  
  
There's no response in the time it takes for the Gate to Dial, and-  
  
**KAWOOOOOOOOSH!**  
  
-The vortex cuts through the water, clearing away a lot of wet liquid for several moments before the vacuum is filled, and water rushes in to fill the void.  
  
"I'm pretty sure they're all dead," Mckay grouches, almost silently.  
  
"We can't know that!" Teyla says.  
  
"They were researching the effects of Global Warming and were at the foot of a massive glacier!" Mckay points vaguely into the dark up valley. "I think an Ice Damn broke and flooded the place! Warm rain water plus thawing ice equals weak structural integrity! It'd explain why all the water's so cold despite the rain being surprisingly warm!!"  
  
A Jumper exits through the Gate a moment later- the water splashing up against the gate as the Jumper roars by, and then surfaces a few yards away.  
  
Mckay sneezes- and groans. "And great, I think I'm getting Hypothermia!"  
  
"What?" You ask. "How's that check out!?"  
  
"I'm starting to feel hot in my head! Plus the sneezing?"  
  
Teyla moves a hand to check his forehead even as the Jumper moves around to lower its ramp to let you all in. "Were you running a fever before we left?"  
  
"I don't know!" Mckay answers. "Probably? I'm always running something, it feels like."

* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: OCTOBER 17TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 04/28/0007.**  
  
"Sunnyy! No! We needed those carrots for dinner tonight!" Your name is VIOLET DELAIR, and you hang your head tiredly as your Quadrant Cluster's daughter happily finished consuming a full bag of freshly washed carrots in the time it took you turn your back to get the bowl of potatoes out of the fridge to be washed.  
  
Sunnyy just smiles innocently as she shrugs in a "I dunno what you're talking about" sort of way. It fails because there's bits of carrots in her hair and around her mouth and she's even HOLDING the LAST CARROT in hand.  
  
Who knew raising a grub from hatching through molting and beyond would be such a long, fraught endeavor of chaos.   
  
You start cleaning your daughter's face up while you muse upon RECENT EVENTS.  
  
Sunnyy's penchant for chewing on anything hard and generally trying her best to be a total omnivore- whether or not that the thing she was chewing on was edible or not- has been a general source of frustration for you and Klauss and Izador and Duncan the last few years.  
  
But, fortuinately, you of ALT-13 have had fairly smooth sailing in the luck department after all that chaos involving Lynera and Sunnyy biting down sharply on her arm.  
  
Good grief. Now there was a topic of hot debate among your Quadrant Cluster.  
  
Apparently some clown sprung Lynera from the mental institute she'd landed herself in, and then got betrayed by the chronic backstabber. Then, the witch who'd threatened Sunnyy and gotten bitten for it goes and waltzes back into Cryptarium of her own accord!  
  
It's... a hard thought to think of. To consider that she went and put herself back into that place because she actually wanted to be there. That she'd been that unwell in the head to begin with that now that she'd spent time there putting her head on straight that she wanted to be there and away from civilization.  
  
You've known some Sea Dwellers who'd balk at the idea- from back in the days at that dreadful Austere Academy. Staying away from Civilization? Good grief! What a thought!  
  
Still, that was precisely why your little tumbleweed of Hearts and Diamonds settled not on Lopan or Diaspora, but one of the newer settlement worlds that had popped up within the last year.   
  
P96-VFD was still Presently Unnamed, but generally people living here had taken to calling it Very Fancy Dunes, after the very large, and majestic beaches that made up this Island and Sea-Water rich world, as well as the obvious VFD reference in the Alternia Galaxy Database.  
  
It was the perfect place for seadwellers to settle, as well as those landwellers who preferred living near the sea.

Klauss and Izador had set up a large bookshop in the largest settlement, and had plans on franchising it out to other islands as settlements spread. Duncan was working with the architecture teams as they built out buildings and homes and developed this place, and you?  
  
...Well, your usual DAY JOB involves maintaining all the CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT, as well as visiting and fixing whatever other technological devices might break down in the salt-water laced sea air.   
  
Salt Corrosion never stopped being a thing, after all.  
  
With everyone working hard, the four of you have your schedule worked out so that every day one of you has Sunnyy to look after when you're all faced with busy weeks. Your days off tend to be far more free form and nowhere near as compact and tight in the scheduling.   
  
Sunnyy complains as you try to take the half eaten last carrot away from her because you just got her clean and you don't want more carrot bits everywhere.  
She complains, of course, by stating that you shouldn't be taking away the carrot that she clearly wasn't eating at all.  
  
You can't help but sigh, happily.  
  
Life is lively these days, and you can't help but be glad that Sunnyy is more often than not your greatest source of occasional misery and dismay.  
  
Because for as crazy as raising a young girl with quite the sharp toothed appetite can be... you'd rather deal with that than any of the other historical cases of BAD LUCK your Quadrant Cluster have ever run into.  
  
And no matter the misfortune, you'd never want to forget a single moment of it.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is JEANNIE MILLER, and you frown slightly as you re-watch the video from your brother. For all he's improved since going to therapy he seems... nicer? Way too nice for his usual means of speech.  
  
He didn't complain about anyone even once in it! Even if he DID complain about nearly freezing to death atop a Stargate, and passing out over night before being confined to the Infirmary for a whole day for observation- but even then his complaints were less "Oh can you believe that this is happening!?" and more "Sweet, I got to have a very pretty Doctor watching my every move for a few hours."  
  
Even so, Something seems... not wrong but off? But you can't quite place your finger on it...  
  
Well, probably nearly freezing to death would be the cause of that. As would the close proximity to the doctor he's CLEARLY got a crush on.  
  
Still... Something's nagging at you that something's off. You just- you can't quite place it.  
  
Maybe you're just being paranoid.   
  
You write it off as being paranoid.

* * *

Jeannie Miller was NOT being Paranoid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scrapped scene transition joke due to dates being years out of synch:
> 
> { "I don't know!" Mckay answers. "Probably? I'm always running something, it feels like." He pauses, then exclaims. "You know! This would be a FANTASTIC time for the 'always sunny' theme song to start playing!" }
> 
> This was cut because, according to my brief research on the subject, Always Sunny in Philadelphia started airing in 2005. I could have timeline butterflied it to start a few years early, but I already did that with Glaceon, and doing it again for a one off joke just didn't settle right this time. 
> 
> Still, I thought it was funny enough to save and post here in the end notes. ^^  
> \---  
> The next episode is SGA:05X06: While others are Visiting The Shrine.  
> Yeah. The Shrine. The one where Rodney got amnesia, again. I cut part of the flashback segment out of that episode to place it in today's chapter. 
> 
> I'm realizing that there are a LOT of heavy emotional episodes in this season of Atlantis. Just finished writing "The Queen" and *GOD* was that a lot more emotionally heavy hitting than I was expecting it to be. I'm going to have to write a huge fluff chapter just to balance it out.
> 
> Anyone got any in-series couples they want to see being adorable together? I'll probably try to circle around to everyone but you've *SEEN* the Great Big Web of connections, right?? I'm liable to forget someone if not poked and prodded. :P


	14. SGA:05X06: While others are Visiting The Shrine.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the forced amnesia episode, take 2!

**EARTH DATE: NOVEMBER 1ST, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 05/13/0007.**  
  
A finger poked at the small round green mech-orb on the desk, triggering its giggle routine. The owner of said finger, one RUBY BRANWEN, sighed in dismay. "And you're sure there's seriously nothing in this thing's memory banks about how it met Weiss?"  
  
"Sorry," You are now Tyzias Entykk, and you shake your head. "I combed through everything in its memory five times just to be certain, and it's pretty clear Weiss either summoned it as a Phantasm, or she wiped its memories entirely before sending it to fetch Daraya."  
  
The tiny mech orb- A.M, or "Adorable Monster"- rolled slightly on the desk to glance up at you.   
  
Much as always, the tiny thing remained silent whenever the subject of its former owner came up.  
  
"Bluuuuh!" Ruby pushed herself away from the desk- her chair rolling along the floor for a moment before she kicked into a brief spin and stood to her feet a moment later, leaving the desk chair spinning in her wake.   
  
In that moment, you can see the spiritual soul-wave-length similarities to Rhubee, in her manner of posture and tone of voice.   
  
"This Sucks!" Ruby laments. "The first Solid Lead on Weiss we get and after months of checking nothing's even THERE!"  
  
"Sorry," you say. "There's nothing I can do to help on that front. The Tech may be superficially similar to some Alternian and Earth technology, but it's extra dimensional. I don't have any means of restoring its lost memories, if they were even lost to begin with."  
  
"Yeah, that sucks, but nothing I can do about it," Ruby sighed. "Oh well!" She offered her hand out, and the excitable little green orb extended its feet and leaped onto her arm before climbing up onto her shoulder. "Thanks anyways, Tyzias!"  
  
"Any time," You wave to her as she leaves your lab.   
  
...Hrm, now what to do about the rest of the day?  
  


* * *

  
  
You sense her coming a mile away and reach out and grab Ruby and pull her into a hallway alcove just as she comes walking by.  
  
"YAH!" Ruby yelps. "Rhubee! What the--!"  
  
Your name is Rhubee Xaolon and you place a hand over your alt-verse self with a 'sssh!' and then point out into the hallway and message her directly, [Watch watch!]  
  
Ruby gives you a look- then she picks up on what you've been waiting for.  
  
You both peer out into the hallway just in time to watch Artoria Gray bump shoulders with Alloyd Armadn.  
  
"Oh!" They both exclaim. "Sorry I didn't see you-!" They stop. "No, that was my fault not-!" Another pause. They stare for a moment. Then... "Sorry, that was-"  
  
Lloyd raises a hand- "You first."  
  
"No, you first, I insist!" Gray shakes her head.  
  
There's a pause, then they both start again. "Sorry for-"  
  
They stop, and both laugh.  
  
"We really need to stop running into each other like this!" Gray says through intermittent giggles.   
  
"I guess we've both just got those magnetic kinds of personalities!" Lloyd answers, no doubt grinning.  
  
With a few more passing, surface level friendly, but subsurface level slightly flirtatious, they pass each other by and continue on in the... exact opposite directions they were heading in to begin with.  
  
Ruby glances at you, raising an eyebrow. _[...Seriously?]_  
  
You nod. _[Seriously!! That's the third time this week! Tenth time total if you count last month!]_  
  
Ruby's eyes gleam as she raises the other eyebrow to match her already raised one. _[That's a lot of coincidental hallway shoulder bumps!]_  
  
 _[It is! It is!]_ You grin like a loon.  
  
And then Gray steps into view, peers into your alcove, and speaks aloud, "You know I can hear you two, right?"  
  
Needless to say, you and Ruby both yelp in surprise. Karren laughs elsewhere at your expense along the line from somewhere in the ocean.  
  


* * *

  
  
Jeannie Miller linked into the Atlantis Book Room with a determined look in her eyes, and a scowl on her lips. 

"Take me to my brother," she demanded of Woolsey, who was waiting with a grim look on his face.

* * *

[ **O <\--- STARGATE ATLANTS --->O** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0K2bRdtGlg)

* * *

Your name is John Sheppard, and you grimace as Jeannie finishes watching the video showing Mckay's current status, visibly upset. You're just as bad off, honestly.  
  
Nearby, Keller looks just as upset, given that she'd recorded the thing just this morning.  
  
"Why didn't anyone tell me he was this far gone?" Jeannie demands, silently, visibly holding back her temper.  
  
"It happened fairly fast," Woolsey states. "We contacted you as soon as we were aware of how serious his condition was."  
  
"I should have said something! I just knew something was wrong!" Jeannie muttered, angry at herself. "I got a message from him just a couple of weeks ago and he was fine, but he was too nice! Even with the therapy something felt off- I should have said something!"  
  
"Yeah, that-" Keller nodded, slowly. "That would've been shortly after he became infected. I didn't catch the symptoms in time. And with everyone else focusing on this issue or that issue, rescuing and treating the survivors from the Research Base..."  
  
"It's not your fault, Keller," you place a hand on her shoulder.   
  
"I know, but..." Keller shakes her head. "We ran every scan we could and nothing showed up in the blood work or anything."  
  
"I need to see my brother now," Jeannie says.  
  
It doesn't take long for things to be set in motion.  
  
Keller goes down into the Isolation room to talk to Rodney, who... looks very small, dressed in pajamas and a bathrobe, just sitting in a wheel chair, and staring off into nothing.  
  
She's 'preparing' him for Jeannie's visit.  
  
As well as he can be prepared, given the situation.  
  
Memory Loss.  
  
It's not like the Kisran Fever outbreak from way back when. It's... it's like the Pegasus version of Alzheimer's, from how its progressed.  
  
Watching Jeannie go down and talk to her brother, and see him respond so... so...  
  
It doesn't take long for Jeannie to have to excuse herself to cry it out. You see Ronon go to check on her.  
  
You know he's giving her the same proposition that he's given the rest of you.  
  
The one thing that could save your friend after none of the advanced Alternian Tech, or Kanaya's healing aura, or any of the Fae spells could manage.  
  
That's because it's not a virus, or a genetic thing, or anything of the sort. It's a fucking Parasite that gets in the brain and grows until it's too big to operate on. Even the Beaming Surgeries would cause huge amounts of damage to Rodney's brain at this stage. You just didn't catch it fast enough.  
  
The people of Pegasus call it "Second Childhood," and you'd personally put good money on the Ancients making it as a weapon against the Wraith. Except the Wraith never have weakened immune systems so they never got it. It most commonly affects the elderly, or people with weakened immune systems, and wouldn't you know it Mckay was already fighting off a small cold when he got doused in the water and...  
  
There's a Shrine on the planet Talus, one of the original worlds of the Ancients- about a five or six hour hike to there from the gate, by Ronon's personal experiences and memories of his Grandfather going through this.  
  
Supposedly, it'll allow anyone affected by the disease to have one more day as them-self before dying. Ronon and Teyla both vouch for it.   
  
The only porblem is the Wraith set up an outpost there, and not any of the factions allied with Todd, so fat chance of getting him to let you waltz on through... And Todd's not going up against two hiveships and about ten thousand Wraith Soldiers on the ground without significant backup.  
  
Woolsey's willing to approve the mission to go on a stealth mission- after Teyla and Ronon insisted they'd take Rodney themselves. You''ve got a plan ready to go. The only hold up is Keller refuses to release Rodney for an excursion of that nature without Jeannie's approval.  
  
...And Jeannie's wanting to see her brother again.  
  
Personally, if there's a technological cure inside of a cave behind a magic waterfall? You're going to see if you can find it and replicate it for everyone in Pegasus.  
  
Okay, you're not a tech person, but you'll see about getting it to happen.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Kohiru Karren, and you surface from the water around Atlantis, and pull yourself up the ladder onto the pier.  
  
Cridea Seawav sits nearby, wringing the water out of her hair. "Man, that's some view, alright!"  
  
"It's a shame most people don't get a chance to see the bottom of the City without a Jumper," you nod to your fellow Seadweller. "There's not nearly enough Seadwellers who come to Atlantis. We could make a club out of it!"  
  
"You'd think that it'd be a more popular destination, what with the City being over the Water and everything," Cridea muses.   
  
"Yeah, well, the whole galaxy away from everyone you know and love probably has something to do with it," you shrug.  
  
"Guess so..." Cridea nods.  
  
There's silence for a few moments as you both stare out over the ocean.  
  
"So, did you hear about Doctor Mckay?" Cridea asks.  
  
"A wild, crazy, last ditch plan to visit a Wraith controlled planet by sending a smoke bomb MALP through the gate to disguise a cloaked Jumper traveling through?" You shake your head. "Yeah, that's a crazy ass plan."  
  
You heard they went through not an hour after Mckay's sister showed up.  
  
"Hopefully they can figure out whatever it is and save him," you say. "Otherwise, that'd be a pretty lame way to go after everything that's happened to the guy."  
  
"Haven't really met the guy or gotten to know him, but agreed," Cridea nods. "Really shitty way to go out."

* * *

"Look, I get it," You are Gray, and you massage at the bridge of you nose as the three of you walk down a hallway. "I keep running into him and he keeps running into me and it's funny! Because, 'Oh, it's a meet cute that keeps happening!' But it's not cute. It's embarrassing! It's like the universe is saying, 'Hey! These two aren't dating anybody in any quadrant so let's shove them together!' And it sucks because it feels so goddamned forced."

You take up any pleasant thoughts about taking those random encounters further and shove them into a mental box for safe keeping.

Rhubee grimaces. "I dunno, it's the kind of insistence that says to me you should be doing something about it!"

"I am," you say. "I'm being polite, and playing it off every chance it happens and I'm not falling for it."

"That sounds more to me like you're just ignoring it and letting it happen by chance," Ruby remarks.

You gaze at her. "Why would I do that?"

"Maybe for all your arguing against it, you actually want to keep running into him?" Ruby offers.

Rhubee continues from there. "I mean, Lloyd's cute. I get that much! But he's pretty lonely too. Sometimes I see him sitting alone in the cafeteria and just want to run up to him and-" Wait a second. "-ask if he's got a seat available and OH! Wait, no. That's you!"

"I thought I confined that thought to its own mental little box!" You groan, hanging your head in dismay.

"You did, it's just that that little mental box happened to be Mine," Rhubee grins.

"Oh Maker, please tell me I haven't-"

"Been shoving every single one of your repressed thoughts about Lloyd down my throat?" Rhubee nods. "Yep. Exactly that."

"Oh Nooooo...." You whine. "I'm so, so sorry!"

Ruby just cackles. "She's got it Baaaad!"

"You should just talk with him the next time it happens!" Rhubee says. "Stop trying to force it away. Just... see if you two really actually click together or something? If it doesn't work then it's just some weird random quirk of the universe trying to get you two to just talk, and if it does then= well! Where was the harm in trying?"

"The harm is my Professional Reputation going down the drain and everyone gossiping about me," you lament. "Plus, I saw what happened when one of Lloyd's friends thought Akita was dating him as a Moirail!"

You tap the floor of the hallway with your foot- and a small ting of Nara resonates through the air.

Rhubee glances down, and around, and realizes, "Oh. Right. This is even that hallway, isn't it?"

You nod. "Exactly that hallway."

The D'ni Stone Masons repaved the broken floor with Nara pavers- one of which secretly contains Rule Breaker at this very moment.

But you're not telling anyone that. You won't even know which one until it comes time to dig it out. You're steadfastly ignoring which brick is resonating with Rule Breaker's energy.

"Okay, I can see what you mean," Rhubee frowns. "But still! You should atleast talk to him! Even if you don't date him, where's the harm in that? Worst case you don't like eachother much, best case you become friends who just hang out and talk!"

"But making new friends is Hard!" you wince. "If Lord Waver hadn't assigned me to work with you two and Karren, we wouldn't even be having this conversation!"

"Which is exactly why you should just Talk to him!" Ruby agrees. "C'mon. Let's just forget about all the possible romance stuff for the moment and just focus on talking to him like a friend!"

You get the feeling this is going to be a very long day.

* * *

"Sooo..." You are Akita Red, and you cast a glance over at Lloyd as your team, AR-9, hikes through some random, uninhabited planet's forest. "I heard you ran into Miss Gray again this morning."  
  
"Ughhh," Lloyd hangs his head for a moment, before glancing ahead at Soul and Maka, taking the lead by a good ways. "Yeah. It's annoying how often we keep actually bumping shoulders. That metaphor is NOT supposed to be a literal thing!"  
  
"I see, I see," you nod. "So, how accidental do you think it is?"  
  
"What?? Are you asking me if she's running into me intentionally?" Lloyd asks, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"No, I'm asking you if _You're_ running into _Her_ intentionally," you say. "I don't want a repeat of one of your friends coming to Atlantis and accusing her of trying to steal you away like Pixxal did with me! I don't think the city could handle another rapidly escalating brawl."  
  
"I mean... okay, that's a fair enough concern," Lloyd sighs. "But no, I'm not running into her consciously. It's pure coincidence."  
  
"I notice you're using the word 'consciously' so is it possible-?" You don't get to finish that sentence because Maka and Soul yelp from up ahead- and you see a large burst of bright pink pollen or spores fly into the air from a disturbed plant.  
  
"Well, damn it," Lloyd sighed again, donning a hazmat suit from his sylladex. "They walked into something they shouldn't have, didn't they?"  
  
"Yep," you sigh as well, similarly hazmat suiting up. "Odds on it being a spore producing version of that sex-drive increasing physical attraction plant AR-6 ran into last week?"  
  
"I'd give it an even 60%," Lloyd says. "Odds of it being hallucinatory?"  
  
"Eh, probably about 20%," you answer.  
  
"Watch as it winds up being both," Lloyd grimaces.  
  
"Oh, that's a sucker's bet, for sure," you agree.

You both decaptchalogue gas masks and go into the neon pink cloud to drag your teammates out of whatever mess they've gotten themselves into.

* * *

It would turn out to be both, as well as containing a heft dose of the local Pegasus flavor of a certain notorious weed like plant back on Earth.

* * *

Your name is Rose Lalonde, and as your wife Kanaya talks with her sister over something or other over lunch, you spot the strangest sight before the rest of the Cafeteria does and goes shock silent.  
  
Lieutenant Miyu Shinohara just walked into the room wearing a large, oversized grey T-Shirt with a BLACK MESA logo printed on the front of it.  
  
"...You don't think that...?" Kanaya starts, before trailing off.  
  
"I don't know what to think," you answer, staring as the Lieutenant confidently steps into line to order food.   
  
"Huh," Aradia simply blinks. "Either she's taking a page out of my book and trolling everyone after buying that from some online store, or she's bragging!"  
  
"Either way, poor Gordon's going to be pestered with questions," Kanaya says casually. "I do not envy his sudden placement within the spotlight of the City's rumor mill."  
  
"Better them than Keller and Mckay," you state. "I swear, the amount of speculation of him 'leaving' her with a 'parting gift' from the girls down in the Library section is getting insanely stupid the last week."  
  
"I'll agree on that," Kanaya nods. "Fraiser and I have had to turn away god knows how many people trying to talk to Keller regarding his situation. She's had it hard enough. Atleast Gordon can argue back."  
  
"Yeah," Aradia nods. "There's that atleast."  
  
There's a long pause, and then you voice a thought that comes to you, "Say, you don't think Gordon came up with this idea to help take the heat off of them, do you?"  
  
"I could ask him," Aradia offers.  
  
"No need," Kanaya waves it off. "I'm sure Shinohara will drop by the Infirmary later, regardless of intent to fuel speculation. I'll ask her then."  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Argo Lalonde, and you sigh as an email alert pings on your monitor.   
  
You can tell just from the subject title alone what the news is. Reading it confirms it.  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Yes, Argo?" Woolsey asks.  
  
"We just got a denial email from the IOA rejecting your request for ten additional MALP probes."  
  
"..." He sighs. "Of course they would."  
  
Then, there's a ding- another email.  
  
"Oh, but it seems that General Leijon's approved a shipment of Alternia Class "Camera In Name Only" Probes," you continue, after reading it. "Within seconds of the IOA email going out. Damn, she's good at the politicking."  
  
Predictably, some IOA stooge replies protesting the shipment, saying they can't do that when the IOA's rejected the request for additonal probes.  
Okurii replies an email later, stating that Yes, yes she can, because "The IOA Alone Does Not Fund Atlantis" and "Furthermore, the Denial of MALP type probes does not prohibit the Approval of CINO Probes."   
  
The IOA Stooge tries to protest it further only for O'neill to add himself into the email chain with a single reply.  
  
"I'm overruling the IOA rejection of MALPs anyways, so Atlantis gets both."  
  
Woolsey laughs a bitter, tired laugh when you relay that information.  
  
Looks like his plan of sending a MALP through ahead of every connection to ensure that no more 'flooded gate' scenarios happen is a go.  
  
Honestly, Atlantis has needed more MALPs for a very long time. How the IOA expected you to operate for four years with only three MALPs and never get any replacements is beyond you.  
  
And then the Gate activated.  
  


* * *

  
  
The Atlantis Control Room turned to a certain sort of amused quiet as the Gate shut down, with AR-9 tracking through the Gate Room. Maka Albarn and Soul Ehvans had their heads hung low in the shame that could only come about from doing ludicrous, easily blackmailable things while under the influence of an alien plant.  
  
Lloyd Armadn and Akita Red were laughing the entire time- dressed in Hazmat suits, and gas masks twirling in hand as they spoke in half finished sentences about whatever antics their teammates got into.  
  
Lieutenant Amelia Banks could only shake her head as they made their way through to the Infirmary.  
  
Later, when word got around what Soul Ehvans and Maka Albarn had gotten dosed with, Chuck decaptchalogued his wallet and handed Amelia a twenty dollar bill.  
  
It was rapidly shaping up to look like AR-9 was becoming the new AR-2 in terms of crazy off world noodle incidents.  
  
About two Hours later after that, and a Puddle Jumper emerges through the Atlantis Stargate. And there's nothing but a tense atmosphere in the air as it raises up into the Jumper Bay.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Janet Fraiser, and you wait for the Jumper to land and open up.  
  
AR-1 exits the Jumper, with Mckay unconscious on a stretcher, bandages around his head...  
  
But going by the grins on everyone's face, and the proud look of Triumph on Jennifer's face?  
  
They beat this thing, somehow.  
  
"Let's get Rodney into the Infirmary," Keller begins ordering as Ronon and John carry the stretcher out of the Jumper. "We need to patch up his head and run antibiotics."  
  
You step aside and let her call the shots as the transfer over to the Medical Team happens. You look to Teyla and ask, "So did you figure out how to make the Shrine's effects permanent, or-?"  
  
"It was a specific, rare type of Ionizing Radiation," Teyla answers, holding up a scanner. "Never before seen on any of our records, apparently."  
  
"What? Seriously?" You ask.  
  
"John seems to believe that whatever Ancient Technology the Ancestors left within the Shrine of Talus, they had no idea what it was they had their hands on," Teyla smiles. "He and Doctor Keller think if we're able to reproduce the effects in a portable means, we can take anyone affected by the Second Childhood to a treatment center, and perform a minor, invasive surgery as we did with Rodney, and the parasite will simply flee from the brain in an attempt to escape."  
  
"So it was a Radiation treatment," you shake your head in relief. "I can't believe we tried everything except the unknown."  
  
"Sometimes, a leap of faith is all that is required," Teyla says with a smile.  
  
"Indeed," you say, watching as John and Ronon fall back as the Medical team, accompanied by Jeannie, head off to tend to Mckay's status. "I'm glad it worked out for the best."  
  


* * *

  
  
"You know what frustrates me the most?"   
  
You are Callie Ohphee, and you glance at Raddek Zelenka with a raised eyebrow as you both walk down the hallway towards the cafeteria. "No, what?"  
  
"The fact that we can't send Puddle Jumpers through the gate Cloaked!" He says. "It just error messages in Ancient on the console! 'Never Attempt Gate Reentry When In Cloak Mode!' Like it's a common user error for dummies who have attempted it to disastrous consequences. There are automated sensors that make it decloak the second it picks up on the Gate Alignment and briefly engages a form of course correcting autopilot to ensure it travels through the Gate at the right orientation!"  
  
"...It seriously does that?" You ask. "Wow! I had no idea."  
  
"Yes! And it frustrates me to no end!" Zelenka huffs. "You know what I'd rather be focusing on that's alternatively frustrating? The Ninth Gate Chevron!"  
  
"Really?" You ask. "Don't we know what it does already?"  
  
"Yes! That's the frustrating part! I just came across obscure references in the Database this morning about what I'm fairly certain is the Destiny Project, except!" Zelenka throws his hands into the air. "Go Figure! We already know everything about the Destiny Project because the Ancients sent it to Alternia where a royal pain in the ass empress went and turned the thing into her personal battle cruiser and then _ **You Lot** _all went and crashed the thing into a **SUN!** _[SO I have NOTHING to worry about right now except for this frustrating, gods forsaken Cloaking Puddle Jumper problem!]"_  
  
"If it's such a problem that it's automatically decloaking the Jumpers when entering the Gate, maybe the cloaking field does bad things with wormholes?" You offer.  
  
"Maybe. But even so. How Dumb did some of the Ancients have to be to make it mandatory to Enforce It through Hard Programming in their Jumpers to prevent such a thing!" Zelenka says.  
  
"Although, now that you say that, I feel like I've heard of situations where some cloaked Jumpers have gone through Stargates before," you say. "But... I can't actually remember when that may have been the case."  
  
"If it happened and nothing went wrong, then maybe it's just the Ancients had too many hit and run accidents with people standing infront of Stargates and getting clobbered with the cloaked Jumper as it came through," Zelenka offers.  
  
"Maybe!" You hum in agreement.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Ronon Dex, and as you load up a firearm for some shooting practice, a tired looking Gordon Freeman staggers into the room, takes a shotgun from the shelf, and starts loading it.  
  
"So," you begin without preamble. "I hear Shinohara was wearing your shirt earlier today."  
  
"Don't you start with me, Dex," Freeman gripes. "It was as much a strategic move to pull the heat off of Keller and Mckay as it was a moment of pure distraction to get my mind off of the whole 'Alex and my ex boss are still hanging around doing shit to the multiverse' thing!"  
  
"So you two actually hooked up or...?" You raise an eyebrow. After all the teasing Freeman's given you over Lieutenant Banks... It's finally time to dish some out in return.  
  
"Look, it's nothing actually romantic or anything, and we're both okay with that and that's ALL I'm saying on the matter, so zip it, Dex?" Freeman's eyes glint behind his glasses with murderous intent.  
  
"Yeah, that's cool," you say. "Just as long as you let up on teasing me about Lieutenant Banks. Deal?"  
  
"Deal."  
  
Then, you both spend the next half hour burning ammo in the shooting range as silently as explosive based weaponry can be silent.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Kanaya Maryam, and you pause as you enter the Infirmary later that night.  
  
Mckay and his sister are idly chatting, in good and happy spirits.   
  
You quietly move past them without disturbing them, and head into Keller's office. There, you find Keller watching one of the video tapes that Mckay insisted be recorded to monitor the degradation of his mental state during the whole time.  
  
 _"Jennifer, there's s-something I wanted to, um…while I remember. While I still can. Something I wanted to say before uh…"_ The Mckay on screen is saying.   
  
You see Keller mouth "Go ahead" as her past self says so off screen.  
  
 _"I, uh... I love you."_ Past Mckay states. _"I've loved you for some time now. Okay, where was I?"_  
  
And then Keller shuts off the video, sniffing as she wipes some tears from her eyes.  
  
"How are you doing?" You ask, interjecting into the scene and making the doctor jump in surprise.  
  
"Oh! Kanaya! I didn't hear you come in." Keller says, quickly moving to a new window- ordering something from the cafeteria, it seems. "I'm fine."  
  
"Really?" You ask. "Because to me it seemed like you were mourning the loss of something when you should be celebrating the return of."  
  
Keller laughed, bitterly. "Yeah. I guess so." She shakes her head. "Sorry, Kan, I just..."  
  
"Did he forget?" You ask. "That he confessed?"  
  
"Of course he did. He told me so many times, and he barely remembers anything about what happened while that thing was inside his head and I-" Keller shook her head again. "God. I'm like a school girl right now suffering from a break up."  
  
"I don't understand why," you say. "He loves you, you clearly love him. Why are you upset?"  
  
"It's not as easy as just saying that!" Keller says. "He- I- He almost died because I was so enamored by how nice he was and if Jeannie didn't approve of this stunt- and then I had to perform a surgery on site in a badly sterilized cave because of the stupid- I just- I keep making mistakes and it's not fair of me to keep clinging to him when it's just going to get him killed!"  
  
You stare at her for a moment, then you say, "Doctor Keller, maybe you should take a few weeks of break to thoroughly evaluate the situation. Isn't Doctor Beckett scheduled to come back again in a few weeks?"  
  
"I..." Keller sighs. "Yeah. He is."  
  
"Then take that time and get some distance on the situation." You say. "I think you're catastrophising over the situation we just went through more than you have any real right to be catastrophising over it. Did you make some mistakes? Sure. But it's all turned out for the best."  
  
Keller nods, accepting that.  
  
"Alright. I'll.. I'll put in for some time off."  
  
"Good," you say. "Do tell Rodney I said hi when you see him next." And with that, you go collect the file folder you came here to retrieve and exit. "Have a good night, Jennifer."  
  
"Yeah, good night," Keller answers after you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: MINISODE: Who Thought This Was a Good Idea??  
> \---  
> Apparently I forgot to write the Gray/Ruby/Rhubee scene in my original draft. So I had to write that fresh right here when posting. Whoops.  
> \---  
> I tried to balance the fluff and seriousness of this episode fairly well, given how bleak the original Atlantis Episode was. I mean, it all works out in the end, but DAMN. They really were expecting Rodney to die that episode and DAMN. I... I just couldn't focus on THAT.
> 
> Remember what I said last chapter about the Queen being bleaker than intended? Yeah, it's somehow worse than even the canon Atlantis episode. Just. YEAH.
> 
> So, yeah. Need fluffy scenes to balance that out. I've started work on that, and wound up with a few scenes that still dive into the emotional sorta hurt of things. God. Damn it. I'm trying to write fluff here!!! It's not supposed to continue the plot!! 
> 
> *Sighs*
> 
> Anyways. Yeah. Next Chapter. A Fun little jaunt with Freeman as he runs into an Ancient Experiment about to go awry.


	15. MINISODE: Who Thought This Was a Good Idea??

**EARTH DATE: NOVEMBER 21ST, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 06/02/0007.**  
  
 _"Oh God, it's Azidoazide Azide."_  
  
Your name is Gordon Freeman, and everyone inside the lab froze the very moment you uttered those words from your tone alone.  
  
You cannot underscore how bad this is.  
  
 _Oh God._  
  
 ** _OH FUCKING GOD._**  
  
 _Azidoazide Azide._  
  
"Uh... What's---?" a scientist started but you SHOOSH THEM ALL INSTANTLY.

"Everyone. Out. Of. This. Lab." You order very, very quietly.  
  
The dread seriousness in your tone of voice carries, and the scientists quickly evacuate the Ancient Lab that was designed to create the Chemical Compound C2N14- the most explosive chemical compound ever created back in your home dimension.  
  
"What were the Ancients making in there?" Zelenka asked quietly as you finally exit the room and gaze at its contents with horror.  
  
"A high Nitrogen energetic material," you answer. "It has Fourteen Nitrogen Atoms, and none are in a triple bond. This facility is designed to make Sixteen Tons of it PER. DAY. And it powered on to MAKE that amount when someone with the ATA gene stepped into the building which was- Uh Four Hours ago?"  
  
Silence fills the air, save for the distant sound of forest animals, for several long seconds.  
  
Zelenka mutters in a language you didn't pick up, _"[Oh Motherless Goats of All Motherless Goats That's Absurdly Unstable.]"_  
  
"Well," Doctor Ohphee remarks, "It's a good thing the Ancients weren't making this stuff on Atlantis."  
  
"Tell me about it," you gaze at the lab for a few moments.  
  
Who the fuck among the Ancients thought it was a good idea to Make Azidoazide Azide as a weapon against the Wraith?  
  
"It's a miracle this place hasn't gone up in flames already," you say, and move for your radio-  
  
Wait.  
  
Shit. Could that set it off?  
  
No. Wait. You've been using your radios all day, it should be fine.  
  
You radio. "Everyone, this is Gordon Freeman. All Teams Retreat to the Stargate. I repeat. Retreat. To. The. Stargate. This is not a drill. I repeat. NOT. A. DRILL. Don't question it, just. Make a slow and steady retreat to the Stargate."  
  
 _ **Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck.**_  
  
Who. The. FUCK. Though that was a good idea in TWO WORLDS!? GOD, it's probably a Universal Constant of a fucking BAD IDEA. Just, who shoves fourteen Nitrogen Atoms together and says "That's a Really great idea!"!?  
  
The evacuation is quiet, tense and as quick as possible. Eventually everyone gets to the Stargate. No explosions yet, but fucking hell, whatever containment devices the Ancients used here must be INCREDIBLE because that shit goes off even inside of isolated containers blocked from every conceivable outside stimulus imaginable.  
  
You risk dialing the gate because, while if anything's going to set this stuff off, the Gate will for sure, you've got NO OTHER WAY off this planet.  
  
The Gate Dials...  
  
You hold your breath.  
  
 _ **WAA WAA! KAWOOOSH!**_  
  
The ground begins to tremble as the gate connects. You don't waste time punching in the IDC and radioing, "This is Freeman. Raise the Shield as soon as I'm through!"  
  
You order everyone through the Gate, and they go without hesitation.  
  
The shaking and trembling grows worse. God- were the containment reservoirs underground!? Who DOES THAT?!  
  
Shake shake shake shake shake- you're feeling like a martini right now.  
  
But, finally, the last few people get through the gate, and you rush for the eventhorizon right as you hear the opening sounds of the ground starting to crack apart.  
  
Then you're sort of dazed, and feel weightless for a few moments, before realizing you hit the floor of the Atlantis Gate Room HARD and that there's a bright, white flame smashing against the Stargate Shield with relentless abandon before it all shuts down.  
  
You can't hear anything but a loud ringing noise.  
  
The shock wave alone must have thrown you through the Gate before you knew what happened.  
  
It's a miracle you're alive.  
  
Azidoazide Azide. Not even ONCE.  
  
 _ **"THIS!"**_ You yell as Fraiser rushes over to flash a pen light in your eyes. _ **"THIS IS WHY I DON'T STARGATE TRAVEL!! EVERYTHING EXPLODES!"**_  
  
Fraiser mouths something like "toast bee glazed foam earring tossed."  
  
 _ **"WHAT DOES TOASTED BEES HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?"** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: SGA: 05X07: Xanatos Pileup  
> \---  
> So. This was a fun little chapter inspired by my discovering of a particularly *explosive* compound. 
> 
> Hasn't been properly invented yet in Stargate Verse due to timeline differences, but Black Mesa? Freeman's timeline? Oh, god, they definitely experimented with the stuff. 
> 
> The only reason there's even a facility left in this timeline in comparison to canon Stargate I'll say is that someone smartened up and said "This is probably a bad idea" before they produced ludicrous amounts of it and did reasonable small scale experiments first and they decided to shut it down and go home.
> 
> ...In other timelines there's just not a Stargate or facility left there anymore. Whether there's a planet is left up to the imagination.


	16. SGA: 05X07: Xanatos Pileup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which multiple plans collide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for TV tropes, but this is what the title refrance:  
> https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/XanatosGambit  
> https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GambitPileUp  
> ^^;;;

**EARTH DATE: DECEMBER 1ST, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 06/12/0007.**  
  
M4G-37B was a large ocean planet home to many rock-shelf islands with small villages resting upon them, high above the deepest parts of the ocean floor. The islands themselves seemed to drift of their own accord with no rhyme or reason.  
  
The ocean water was cold and its currents strong, but around the rock shelves home to these islands, the water was warm. Where the two met, steam rose, enclosing everything with steam and fog and mist.  
  
The villagers never left their islands because of this fact, and it was a sad, sad fact of life that the nearest Stargate had lost its DHD centuries before, relegating it to a fixture of ceremonial, religious artwork and nothing more.  
In some parallel universes, M4G-37B had instances that Yeesha's Grandfather, Gehn, wrote Linking Books too- and in Gehn's unimaginative naming style, in a sheer stroke of numerological coincidence, called it his 37TH AGE.   
  
But in our timeline, M4G-37B had never been linked to either from this timeline's Gehn, or any other timeline's Gehn, for that matter.   
  
Thus, they were prime fodder for the Wraith as a Hiveship exited hyperspace, and descended towards the islands- coming within viewing distance as it began to launch wave after wave of Darts to begin the culling.  
  
In a violation of the standard Wraith Culling Protocol, they began to dial the Stargate from this side, attempting to connect to a nearby Wraith Hiveship with a Stargate onboard. Were the villagers to try to flee through the Gate, they would escape directly into their waiting Hive's clutches.  
  
And when I say "nearby" I mean at least two star systems away, somewhere near a recently culled planet.  
  
Nobody was prepared for what was to happen next as the Stargates connected.  
  
The Hive that was to be dialed to picked up an opening Hyperspace window, and emerging from it, far, far outside of weapons was a ship of unfamiliar design. It was colored white and purple, and looked vaguely rocket-ship like...  
  
Its front most point was designed like the head of some kind of sea creature- whose mouth opened, but nothing seemed to come out from it.  
  
Weapons charging, the awaiting Hiveship turned to confront the interloping ship whose weapon had clearly misfired, for nothing had happened.  
  
But on M4G-37B something did happen.  
  
The Stargate's eventhorizon flickered but once, and then, as approximately a minute had passed...  
  
The Stargate on those poor islands exploded- wiping out every single island in the immediate vicinity, as well as- due to the sheer size of the fireball that resulted- climbing high and fast and wiping out the foolish Hiveship that had dared to come anywhere near to being close to the islands in the first place.  
  
The Culling had been abruptly ended- and with the destruction of that Stargate, the Stargate onboard the Awaiting Hiveship shut down suddenly with a keening lurch that spelled bad things.  
  
Knowing that something must have gone wrong, a guard quickly yelled up the chain to their ship's commander.  
  
The commander, not understanding that the problem of disconnection was from the other end, assumed that some kind of Stargate targeting frequency was being used by the enemy ship that had yet to open fire due to a lack of not closing the distance, and instead ordered a hasty retreat before they did so.  
  
The Wraith Hiveship jumped for hyperspace, foolishly without changing course- diving straight towards the enemy ship that was firing an invisible weapon upon them.   
  
The Hiveship exploded into a cloud of debris as it hit the hyperspace window.  
  
The Sovereign Slayer closed its mouth, and then entered Hyperspace a moment later.

* * *

[ **O <\--- STARGATE ATLANTS --->O** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0K2bRdtGlg)

* * *

**EARTH DATE: DECEMBER 2ND, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 06/13/0007.**  
  
"M4G-37B, another planet, another failed connection," your name is Keiko Ayano, and you tap at another red X on the star map of Pegasus, residing on the screen next to the conference room table. "We're not even bothering to send a ship to investigate at this point. We're pretty sure it's another case of terminal Gate detonation."  
  
"Todd's hunkered his alliance down on empty worlds the Wraith never bothered visiting because they never had life on them or had Stargates on them until they can modify their hyperdrives, and he's passing the word along to his 'loose friends' to do the same," Sheppard takes it from there, leaning back into his chair. "We're doing sort of the same and passing the word along to our allies to not Dial the Gate unless they absolutely have to use it for the time being. We're hoping word of mouth will get out to everyone faster than we can spread it ourselves."  
  
"I see," Woolsey frowns. "And are we having any luck targeting the ones responsible yet?"  
  
"Unfortunately, no," you shake your head. "Not from our end on Atlantis, atleast. Tegiri, Dammek?" You look to them.  
  
Tegiri looks to Dammek, and he grimaces.  
  
"Unfortunately, we've been unable to reactivate the Sovreign Slayer's hidden Tracking Devices," Dammek answers. "At this point we simply don't know how many years its been out of our hands from the Slayer's perspective. Who knows what changes were made. Etcetera."  
  
"With the changes to the Hyperdrives we've made," Tegiri says, "we're confident we're immune to the Attero Device effects for the time being. But we're not confident how long that's going to last. Once they realize their laser pointer isn't surgically striking again, there's a hefty chance they may try to re-activate the original Attero Device and at that point, there's no telling what could happen."  
  
"Especially if they decide to modify it so that any hyperdrive window that isn't their own gets affected," Dammek gripes. "If they start expanding in that direction... there's no telling what the hell they could end up doing."  
  
"Which makes exploring the Galaxy a hard task to pull off," Colonel Caldwell remarks. "We were fortunate that the changes held through and the Apollo was able to get back to Milky Way in one piece. They reported being targeted at distance atleast five more times before they exited Pegasus once they got back to Milky Way."  
  
"But the Daedalus received no problems?" Woolsey asks.  
  
"On entry? No, we took a round-about route. Came at Pegasus from a different angle than usual," Caldwell answered. "But that could also be because they've decided to stop focusing on us and go after the Wraith again for a time. We haven't dared take off again yet since we arrived yesterday."  
  
"The Astro and Delta have had occasional encounters since our arrival," Tegiri says. "Frequency of attacks would support the idea they're only taking pot shots at us when they're going after the Wraith."  
  
"And blowing up Stargates in the process," you gripe.  
  
"If they're using the Slayer like we think they are, they have to know about that side-effect," Sheppard speaks up. "I read the design specs again- the coding for the thing is listed as a Stargate Buster. They have to know the risks and decided they just don't care."  
  
Teyla speaks up for the first time since this arc of the conversation began, "We have to assume that as a race, whoever they are, they do not use the Stargates at all, and that they care more about taking out the Wraith and Atlantis than they do about the civilian population of this Galaxy. It's the only logic that makes sense for this indiscriminate attack."  
  
"Agreed," Sheppard nods.  
  
"So the question is what do we do about it?" Woolsey asks.  
  
"If I could make a suggestion?" You offer. "We simply just don't have the speed or resources to be able to search the entire Pegasus Galaxy for them. Astro and Delta, even at top speeds with full ZPM compliments can't move that fast. We don't have an easy means of getting even fifty Alternian Cruisers to Pegasus, let alone the hundred we'd need for a quick and thorough scanning, and even if we did, we'd then have the problem of escalation. "  
  
"We bring an army of ships to Pegasus, the Wraith'll go on the offensive regardless," Caldwell says.  
  
"The IOA would never approve of it," Woolsey shakes his head. "It took god knows how much convincing on O'neill's part just to approve the Daedalus to be redeployed in exchange for the Apollo. Even if General Leijon and the Tok'ra and Jaffa councils approved of the measure- the IOA would- well. They'd see it as an act of war against Earth."  
  
"Which means we need to go to a different ally," you say. "One who has ships fast enough to cross the span of galaxies within seconds, and one who knows how to avoid being seen unless they want to be seen. One whose hyperdrives would almost certainly never be affected by the Attero tech."  
  
"You're not asking we bring in the Asgard, are you?" Woolsey asks.  
  
"That's exactly what I'm suggesting, yes," you nod. "I think Thor owes us a few favors, after all."  
  
"The IOA would throw a fit if they find out we're even asking the Asgard as a whole to do this," Woolsey says.  
  
"So we don't ask them as a whole," you shrug. "We just ask our really close pal Thor to maybe come visit and maybe we could just, casually, stumble into a solution?"  
  
"IOA can't complain if Thor's just coming to pay us a friendly visit after we had reporters here," Sheppard says.  
  
"I'll reach out," Dammek says. "Or, well. I'll reach out by asking Callie to reach out. They've kept in touch."  
  
"Alright then," Woolsey nods. "Let's just hope that the Wraith don't react agressively to the Asgard suddenly having a presence in Milky Way."  
  


* * *

  
  
"Am I a bad moirail?"  
  
Your name is Dammek, and you do a near about double take as you process Callie's question. You stare at her for a moment acrosss the table in the cafeteria.  
  
"You? Callie?" You ask in turn. "A Bad Moirail??"  
  
"I mean," she shrugs, "I came to Atlantis after everything that happened over Corinth and I didn't even really... plan about how we'd keep in touch much?"

"Callie," you sigh. "If anything, I'm the bad Moirail for not coming after you sooner."  
  
"No! No! That's not it at all!" Callie shakes her head dramatically. "I didn't mean it like that!"  
  
"I know you didn't, but I've thought that about myself," you offer in turn. "I think we're both probably just ... over thinking it? Over thinking it is probably better than underthinking it, but, even so they're just two extremes. Gotta balance it somehow. Just the right amount of thinking and not too much."  
  
Callie frowns. "I guess so."  
  
"Still, I think we're both better off now than I ever was with Xefros," you say.  
  


* * *

  
  
A Galaxy Away...

* * *

  
"Do you think I'm a bad Moirail?"  
  
Your name is Baizil Soleli, and you, without hesitation, afix your Kismesis with a grin and say, "Of Course Not!" With as much of a sarcastic tone of voice as you can manage.  
  
"No, like, being serious here for a moment," Xefros says. "No Spade Flirting. Serious question, serious answer."  
  
"Okay, right." You take a breath, reset your mindscape a little and- "So. What's the problem exactly?" You ask, dropping the Spade Flirt inclinations for the moment because Xefros Tritoh rarely if ever actually asks you serious questions like this.  
  
"Joey wanted to go to Atlantis and I told her that if that's what she really wanted to do then she should and even though I Said That, I still feel like she's doing this because she feels she has to and not because she wants to, and should actually be, like, staying here and not going out and fighting someone elses battles because we DID all the fighting and we all have our lives calming down and shit." Xefros explains. "Does that make me a bad Moirail for supporting her despite not saying how I really felt? Because, telling her what she wants to hear- isn't that just what Dammek was doing to me?"  
  
You massage at the bridge of your nose. "Ignoring for a moment the fact that I wasn't There for the whole You-Dammek Pale Breakup thing-" Xefros nods. "-She says she feels Called to it. Like the whole D'ni Cavern Call to Adventure thing."  
  
"Riiiight," you nod, only vaguely understanding that bullshit.  
  
"So, like, i get the impression she feels like she HAS to go there and fight even though it's Not Her Battle?" Xefros offers. "Like, I don't know if that's what she wants to do or if that's what she feels she has to do. And I... I feel like I'm enabling something shitty by just being passive and allowing her to go and do this?"  
  
"Well," you say. "If she hasn't left yet, I'd say go talk with her about it and sort it out. And if you feel you gotta do something to keep her from doing something life-endingly stupid, then do it!"  
  
Xefros considers that for a moment, then nods.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Joey!!"  
  
You are Joey Claire, and you stop moments away from linking through to Atlantis from the BELTUS by your Moirail's concerned shout.  
  
"Xef? What is it?" You ask as he rushes into the room, looking out of breath.  
  
"Can... can we talk?" He asks.  
  
You nod. "Of course."  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Daraya Jonjet, and you bite into an apple as you watch Lloyd Armadn and Artoria Gray run into eachother, shoulder to shoulder, in the middle of the Atlantis Cafeteria line- somehow without having realized either were nearby- all thanks to the Spades Fueled arguing between Tagora Gorjek and Galekh Xigisi over some recently released Alternian Anime.  
  
This sets off a chain reaction along the food line until further ahead, Artoria Gray sneezes sharply into her arm thanks due in part to someone accidentally knocking over a salt shaker. Lloyd Armadn, moments later and coincidentally just slightly further ahead in line, offers her a napkin as a tissue.  
  
All three of these events go unnoticed by everyone else, though, because the current soap-drama cafeteria chatter is focused intently on how quadrantly confusing the relationship between Gordon Freeman and Miyu Shinohara apparently is.  
  
Are they flushed? Are they ashen? Hearts or Spades, the ravenous audience wants to know!!  
  
You take another bite of your apple, and give a small nod to Freeman when his eyes lock with yours.  
  
'Good job dragging everyone's eyes onto you,' your nod says. 'Good luck!'  
  
He gives a nod in return, slightly grim. A reply of 'Thanks. i'll need it' if ever you've seen one.  
  
You've got to give them credit where its due. One shared shirt, and nothing else besides a causal sort of, bantery kind of interaction, and the whole of Atlantis has been captivated in the glow of suspense and confusion.  
  
Another bite of the apple goes into your mouth as Silica and Minori enter the room, clinging closely to eachother, giggling freely, and nobody so much as bats an eye.  
Freeman knows how to hold an audience captive, you'll say that much. Shinohara's certainly soaking up the attention like a spongue, too. Taking it all in and only giving just enough back to keep them hooked for more and NOT a SMIDGE more.  
  
You just hope they know what they're actually doing in the personal romance department and aren't just making it up as they go along because hoo, boy, could that backfire messily and let all that gathered audience attention snap back on everyone else at once.  
  
That'd be way too messy for your liking, that's for sure.  
  


* * *

  
  
"So..." You're once again Joey Claire, and you feel a little bit more conflicted now than you did earlier about this Atlantis stuff. "I guess... I do feel like I have to go, and I want to go besides that, but it's not because of destiny or the Call. I could ignore that. I have ignored it. It's..." You search your Moirail's face as he listens to what you're saying. "It's the Unfinished Business aspect."  
  
"The Sovereign Slayer," Xefros says, and then swallows down a gulp of air. "I get that. Someone's using that thing and..."  
  
"And It's the last dangling thread besides Marvus being out there somewhere, working with that creep who Freeman used to work with," you say. "I dunno if I can help with that, but... The Slayer? That's Personal. The fact that it's being used to attack people indiscriminately, and blowing up Stargates--!"  
  
You can't let that be.  
  
Xefros nods. "Alright. I get it. It's... It's a huge thing that's a problem I didn't even think about being a problem... So..." He gives you a hug. "Good luck out there. And keep me in the loop, alright?"  
  
"Thanks, Xef," you hug him back. "I'll send you an email with updates when we get them."  
  
"Don't do anything too risky, alright?"  
  
"Of course!" you nod.  
  
A few moments later, you break the hug, and with a departing smile, you link through to Atlantis.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Hey, Jade," Joey grins as you- one Jade Jackson- let her into the room. "Long time no see!"  
  
"Pft," you scoff. "It's only been what, six months since you last visited to come see the kids?"  
  
"Please, that'd imply I only came 'cause Casey was born," Joey scoffs in turn. "Three months, bare minimum!"  
  
"Yeah, that tracks right," you laugh, and then give her a hug. "Great to see you again, Aunt Joey."  
  
"We really need to make these visits more frequent," she says, hugging back. "And less 'imminent disaster' worthy."  
  
"So true," you nod, closing the door behind her. "Soo... Mierfa's keeping an eye on Toko?"  
  
"Yeah," she nods. "Her and Wanshi, and Bronya and Skylla too. That whole... y'know, with the Unending kinda spooked 'em into visiting more frequently, I guess? I dunno."  
  
You nod, understanding that, a bit.  
  
"I'm just glad that Toko and Karako get along, otherwise this'd be a lot harder than it is." Joey sighs, clearly not wanting to be away, but-"But I gotta do this. The Slayer is unfinished business and I'd never rest easy knowing it was out there doing this shit."  
  
"Well, hopefully we'll find it, soon" you say. "This has gone on for long enough."  
  


* * *

  
  
It spoke to the power of the Uber Efficient Asgard Hyperdrive design that Thor's current personal ship, _The Hemsworth_ , was in orbit over Atlantis but a short handfull of hours after he was summoned.  
  


* * *

  
  
"I've never understood how they can move that fast," you are Tyzias Entykk, and you gaze into the Conference room as a vastly more human looking Thor discusses things with the higher ups, as well as Joey Claire, who missed the earlier briefings.  
  
Keiko's in there rehashing everything again. You feel a little left out, being no longer on active team duty. But... it's safer this way/  
  
"The Asgard Ships?" Mallek asks, biting into an apple.  
  
"Yeah," you say. "They've shared with us hyperdrive designs, and we've tried our best to recreate them, but it's the sheer power output that stalls us. Even with an estimated full compliment of Six ZPMs, we can't match hours of travel time from a whole three galaxies away! The drives just don't work that way. So HOW?"  
  
"The Asgard are pretty Over Powered, when you think about it," Mallek muses.  
  
"Yeah, I mean, that's not in doubt," you say. "But still..."  
  
"I betcha it's wormholes," Mallek says.  
  
"What?" You ask.  
  
"I betcha they have some kind of Wormhole Drive instead of a Hyperdrive. Just. Boom. Blink. Travel across the universe without hassle because Hyperspace is just slow compared to wormholes." Mallek glances at you. "You know. Because clearly it's all a matter of asking the right phrasing and not, y'know, trying to figure it out."  
  
"Wormhole drives? Really?" you ask. "Then why'd it take Thor Hours to get out here?"  
  
"Because he doesn't want to show off too badly?" Mallek shrugs. "Or maybe he just wasted a lot of time loading up weapons onto his ship? Who knows."  
  


* * *

  
  
"You know, this is kinda creepy," your name is Daniel Jackson, and you stare at your sort of... weird, Asgard reflection in Thor as you both step into a Transporter. "I mean, I'm flattered, really, but-"  
  
"I apologize," Thor said, wincing. "It was purely unintentional, I assure you."  
  
"I just don't get how this sort of thing happens," you say. "How do you accidentally copy someone's entire _everything_?"  
  
"Drawing from the humanity of Earth as much as we have, It was inevitable that a limited gene pool sample would eventually result in a duplicate appearance," Thor said. "I had not had a chance to look in a mirror until just before I arrived, so I was unaware of the stark resemblance. For that, I truly apologize."  
  
And then the transporter doors open, and Jade is standing there waiting to get in. She hesitates, steps aside, lets you and Thor exit, and then quickly steps inside the elevator with a "Nope, I'm not touching this today. No sir-ee! _HAVE A GREAT DAY, DAD!_ " Then the door closes and she's gone a moment later.  
  
"...Yeah," you say. "The universe has to be playing a prank on us."  
  
"Agreed," Thor states, flatly.  
  


* * *

  
  
It spoke volumes to Thor's thoroughness that it took almost an entire day to search the entire Pegasus Galaxy for a series of very specific energy signatures.  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: DECEMBER 3RD, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 06/14/0007.**  
  
"That's Impossible!" You are Rondey Mckay, and you stare at the results screen Thor is sharing with you.  
  
A whole Galaxy scanned in the course of a Day, and not a SINGLE trace of the Sovereign Slayer anywhere- not even in HYPERSPACE! It's like it's a ghost.  
  
"That is what I thought," The Asgard agreed with a nod. It's kind of creepy how human the Asgard have gotten themselves looking again now. He looks like Doctor Jackson, for crying out loud! Just, with the still kinda pale skin tone you've been used to from the Asgard, is all. It's weird!!  
  
"But it makes sense, doesn't it?" Morgan Carter pipes up, peering at the data. "They have to have some kind of cloaking device that keeps them hidden from Our scanners, and the Wraith's at the same time. If it's powerful enough to keep the Slayer hidden from even the Asgard, that speaks a lot to their technological power level."  
  
"But this is the latest in Asgard tech on Thor's ship! It shouldn't be fooled by anything born in Pegasus, right?" You point at the blank map of Pegasus. "We didn't even pick up on ANY of the subspace distortions that come from the Attero Device firing even though we KNOW that it went off atleast once during the last day! This should be impossible!"  
  
"Unless they did not come from Pegasus, or from our time line entirely," Thor speculates. "It is likely given recent events that the aliens from Doctor Freeman's dimension are involved in this as well."  
  
"So, what, the G-man's plan to open a portal to a Werewolf dimension fell through so now he's blowing up Stargates?" You ask, rhetorically.  
  
"It's possible," Carter gazes at the screen. "We have no idea who's really behind this, after all."  
  


* * *

  
  
On a frozen, snow ball of a planet somewhere in Pegasus, an idle Ancient Facility sat with a small yard of odd ships out nearby. One was the Sovereign Slayer, the others that could be seen seemed to be super sized Puddle Jumpers of a sort. They'd never fit through a Stargate, but seemed to harken to the same general design principle in some regards. Round, elegant...  
  
Clearly Ancient, yet modified somehow.  
  
Within the facility's many hallways, a trio of hazardous environment suit wearing figures observed a hologram of an Asgard ship exiting hyperspace near an asteroid field.  
  
The leader of the trio grouched, "And so they arrive."  
  
"We shall have to inform the others that they are here," the second of the three states.  
  
"No," the third says. "We do not need to do that. We will lure them into a trap."  
  
"A trap, but how?" the second asks.  
  
"With the tracking device," the third says. "They are looking for us, so we shall give them what they are looking for, and destroy them. We cannot allow them to stop us at this critical juncture."  
  


* * *

  
  
Stelsa Sezyat was reclining in her chair on the Delta Mega bridge, casually reading from a massive volume of LAW TEXT- a book written by Tyzias Entykk and released sometime shortly before she came to Atlantis. Stelsa was about a quarter of the way through the thing when a sensor alarm on the dashboard went off.  
  
Into the Sylladex went the hefty volume of text as she sat upright and checked the dashboard for...  
  
"Oh shit!"  
  
The Sovereign Slayer's EMERGENCY TRANSPONDER had activated, and was broadcasting on ALL KNOWN FREQUENCIES.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Well, this can't be a coincidence," your name is John Sheppard, and you stare at the data on screen.  
  
"Yeah," Joey chimes in, "we get Thor to search all of Pegasus and then, when we find nothing, they suddenly turn on the transponder?"  
  
"It's not a coincidence, that's for sure," Keiko says, bringing up a small section of a galaxy sized star chart. "Our Mystery Operators are taking the Slayer Megaship over to Talus, and we can be pretty sure they're going to be using the Attero Cannon on the planet, and that beam's going to be striking out and hitting who knows how many other planets after it."  
  
"The Wraith'll try to use the Stargate and their Hiveships," Ronon surmises. "Explosions all around."  
  
"As much as I'd love to see the Wraith get whats coming to them," you grimace. "This has to be a trap, right?"  
  
"No duh," Mckay grouches. "Of course it's got to be a trap, but we can't just let them get away with it anyways."  
  
"Agreed," Woolsey stands from his chair. "AR-1, Take Thor's ship along with the Astro and Delta to intercept and put a stop to this now."  
  
"Yes sir," you nod.  
  


* * *

  
  
A few quick beams, and a rush of Asgard-assisted Hyperspace travel later, and your three ships arrive just on the outskirts of the Talus System just in time to watch the Sovereign Slayer exit Hyperspace as well.  
  
...It immediately makes a beeline towards the planet of Talus- transforming in mid air and-  
  
_"Reading Attero Cannon Wavelengths,"_ Stelsa reports from the Delta. _"Beam is estimated to be striking a grand total of five planets at this angle."_  
  
"Oh, great," your name is Ashler Dering, and you scowl. "So now we've got a potential grenade of a planet with that Stargate."  
  
"If we're lucky they'll blow themselves up with the detonation," Tegiri smirks.  
  
"Start the transformation sequences as we move in. We don't go into the atmosphere, and we stay in orbit," Joey orders.  
  
"Roger that, Colonel," Tegiri affirms.  
  
"Aye aye," you agree.  
  
The two Megaships combine.  
  
"Astro Delta Megazord, Online," you report with zero fanfare. As the combination link up process finishes, a small shudder runs down your spine this time for some odd reason.  
  
Moments later, a massive fireball engulfs a massive portion of the planet's surface- no doubt obliterating the entire Wraith Encampment in one go as its Stargate went critical.  
  
Ah. That would probably be why.  
  
_"Attero Wavelength has ceased,"_ Stelsa reports.  
  
"Did we get lucky and they blew themselves up?" Tegiri asks. "Please tell me they blew themselves up."  
  
_"...Slayer IFF Transponder is still functioning,"_ Stelsa reports. _"And climbing in altitude."_

"Can Confirm," Polypa reports from a nearby terminal. "Sovereign Slayer is ascending through atmosphere away from explosion towards us."  
  
The Slayer ASCENDS out of the atmosphere, and rises across from you.  
  
Thor begins to broadcast, "Attention Commandered Vessel. This is Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard-"  
  
He doesn't get a chance to finish that sentence, not because of anything the enemies across from you did. Oh, no.  
  
A trio of Wraith Cruisers exit hyperspace suddenly- their windows opening with an angry red hue as opposed to the standard green-blue anyone uses.  
  
...These Cruisers also look disturbingly... [DIFFERENT](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/gundam/images/7/77/HGBD_AGE-II_Magnum_%28Phoenix_Mode%29.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180428044706).

They were dart like, with an X shaped series of energy blades off of the rear. Overall they were solidly dark blue and dark grey, however, the streaks of visible white across their bodies had an oddly flat metal look to them- a stark contrast to the heavy organic look amongst the blues and greys.  
  
They opened fire with the massive beam weapons on the front of each- targeting both the Astro-Delta and the Slayer, AND Thor's ship.  
  
The blasts of energy struck against the Astro-Delta's armored chest and were absorbed- but FUCKING SHIT THAT STINGS!!!  
  
"Okay! Screw this!" Tegiri yells- bringing up the shield to absorb the next volley of lasers.  
  
It took the brunt of the damage, and your shields held- but the Slayer visibly recoiled with every hit and began evasive maneuvers, and Thor's ship-  
  
What the fuck!? The beams tore through the shields like they were paper.  
  
Thor's ship took several direct blasts, and- _ **PVVVVVMMMSHING!!** _Thor beamed over into the Astro's bridge mere moments before- **_KABOOOOM!!!_**  
  
_The Hemsworth_ exploded.  
  
"Attero Wavelength detected!" Stelsa yells out as one of the new Wraith ships darts around a flashy purple beam of energy from the Slayer by jumping INTO and OUT OF a Hyperspace window clear on the other side of the mech.  
  
The Slayer spun around to fire more blasts of energy at it, but was swarmed by one of the other new ships along with the one that had just jumped around it.  
  
You have other issues to worry about, though- because the THIRD one [just executed a transformation into its own Humanoid Robot Form](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/gundam/images/e/ef/AGE-IIMG_Gundam_AGEII_Magnum_%28Episode_00%29_01.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180627102331) to oppose the Astro-Delta.

 _"They fucking Ripped Off the Mega-Pla Gundam Aesthetic!"_ Tegiri yells. _**"Bastards!!"**_  
  
It aims its laser cannon arm at you and fires off beam after beam.  
  
**"SHIT! DODGE!"** You yell, pulling out of the line of fire.  
  
It's a game of QUICK DODGE for several long intense seconds that feels like minutes- at the end of which- the other two Cruiser-mechs transform and attempt to fight the Slayer one on one.  
  
"Looks like they bit off more than they could chew!" Joey yelps as your shields tank another laser blast- rocking the entire Megazord with momentum as the energy is absorbed.  
  
**_"Fucking SHIT these CHEATING ASS WRAITH!!!"_** You scream into the void.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are now John Sheppard, and you name the Transforming Wraith Cruiser-Mechs as "MAGNUMS" in your head for the moment to give them a snappy name.  
  
The Astro-Delta is holding its own against one of these damned things for the moment, giving you time to try and piece together where any weaknesses could be on the things, and also, just as importantly.  
  
Why the FUCK these Wraith even showed up.  
  
Talus was a massive target- the Wraith had built up their fortifications there during the war with the Replicators and never left. That it was so big seemed like it was unassailable. For Saving Rodneys life, it was worth the infiltration risk, but coming brazenly in to attack with a ship broadcasting a homing--  
  
_Beacon._  
  
Shit, that was it, wasn't it? Whoever the Slayer's current crew were, they assaulted Talus with the goal of bringing you all here, as well as destroying a nice and juicy Wraith Target. Two Hiveships and thousands of Wraith with one Stargate.  
  
But they were BROADCASTING their location through Hyperspace, and stuck around to engage with what was sure to be a fight with you all here and now.  
  
And because they were broadcasting, and you could pick up on the signal all the way from ATLANTIS...  
  
Fucking Idiots gave themselves away to the faction of the Wraith that had been developing not ONLY transforming Mech Cruisers (Magnums!) but also had developed a UNIQUE HYPERDRIVE that was presently immune to the Attero Wavelength.  
  
A kick here, a laser blast there--- Suddenly swerved out of view, hurry back hurry back, THERE WE GO-- the Slayer wasn't doing so hot against the two Magnums that were smaller, faster, and more importantly, Hyperdrive BLINK JUMP DANCING CIRCLES around it.  
  
This wasn't how anyone expected this encounter to go except for the Wraith and honestly? The one that's assaulting the Astro-Delta right now isn't really putting its full energy into everything... It's almost as if...  
  
No... It's stalling you?  
  
Yes, that's exactly what it's doing!  
  
This one Wraith Magnum is harassing you only so much as it keeps you from interfering in their attempt to destroy the Slayer Megazord and-  
  
The Slayer suddenly splits apart into various components- rocketing around and away before recombining back into spaceship mode and absconding into Hyperspace without a second thought.  
  
The two Magnums that had harassed it transformed back into their ship modes and leaped away after it with angry red windows a moment later.  
  
The third continued to harass you until they were gone, and then blink warped away- gaining distance enough to be safely out of your weapon range before transforming and absconding into hyperspace as well.  
  
...Fuck.   
  


* * *

  
  
"So... to summarize..." Richard Woolsey begins once AR-1 leaves the Admin office. "The Sovereign Slayer is harassing Wraith worlds, intentionally using the feedback of the Attero Device to blow up stargates, and the Wraith have finally perfected their transforming Mecha-ships, and, for the moment, seem more interested in taking out the Slayer and whoever's piloting it than they are in attacking us, while still taking the time out of their day to totally obliterate Thor's ship?"  
  
You are Argo Lalonde, and you nod. "That's about the gist of it, yes, sir."  
  
Woolsey crosses his arms on his desk and slumps his head forwards into the resulting nest, groaning. "I am so fired it's not even Funny."  
  
"I'm sure it won't be that bad," you say. "More, they'll keep you on until this problem gets resolved, then hey, problem solved for all of us!"  
  
Woolsey quietly chokes back a sob, and you wince.  
  
Alright. Okay. Maybe that was the wrong thing to say?  
  
...Probably.  
  


* * *

  
  
The trio of suited figures gazed at a progress report for the repairs being done to the Slayer after it narrowly escaped destruction.  
  
"We do not have enough resources to complete repairs," Two reported.  
  
"The Wraith have Improvised," One observed. "An Impressive showing of force."  
  
"Inspiration from the Foreigners to our Galaxy, no doubt," Three stated.  
  
"Our plans will fail if we do not recover our losses," Two sounded angry. "If we cannot repair the Attero Cannon on the Megaship..."  
  
"It is clear to me now that the surgical strikes are a waste of our time," Three stated. "We must restore the original Attero Device."  
  
"Agreement," Two nodded.  
  
"I will Contact our Supplier," One stated, before moving to a terminal, and tapping out a sequence into a transmitter.   
  
A few moments passed, and then a rectangular door of light slid open in a part of the room where a door should not exist.  
  
The Trio of Suited Figures turned to face it as a pale skinned man in a dark blue business suit emerged from the portal, carrying with him a rather large Briefcase in hand.  
  
None said a word, but the G-Man smirked, knowing he was about to eek out a far better price on the existing deal than had already been established.  
  
_Just... the Cost of Doing Business._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myst Lore Reference: Age 37 was one of Gehn's ages in the Book of Atrus. It suffered badly from good intentions and bad age writing.  
> \---  
> Yes, Thor's ship is named after *THAT* Hemsworth. 
> 
> And Yes, that is an acting pun based on Michael Shanks canonically dual-rolling Daniel AND Thor.
> 
> Also, yeah. Asgard ships have a tendency to go super boom in Stargate for all of their uber advanced tech. They're surprisingly fragile ships!!  
> \---  
> Finally. **FINALLY!!** We get to one of the Wraith-Mechship reveals I've been holding onto since I introduced the Ruby Lancer! 
> 
> The Age II Magnum with its sleek, spiky ship form just cried out to me. "Wraith! Wraith!!" The dark blues and the pale white... It just FIT. And MAN. Hahaha!!
> 
> What a Reveal it was!  
> \---  
> SOOO Yeah. Speaking of Reveals. I don't think it's too out of left field to see the G-man show up involved with these idiots flying around the Sovereign Slayer. And suddenly, WHY they were using the Slayer against Atlantis Allied Ships starts to fit into place as well. Especially why they're only harassing Atlantis Allied Ships when they're not focusing on blowing up Wraith ships. And Stargates. They really don't care about the collateral damage, whoever these HEV Suit wearing jerks are. 
> 
> (The whoever part of that last statement was a sarcastic attempt at maintaining the mystery, by the way. It's a paper thin disguise at this point, once I revealed their location and what their suits look like.)
> 
> However, all of THAT important stuff will have to wait a week or so.
> 
> The Next Chapter is SGA: 05X08: The Queen
> 
> ...And yeah. Uh. Hold onto your butts with this one, folks. There's a reason I called for fluff and wound up with *three chapters* worth of it afterwards.


	17. SGA: 05X08: The Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The G-Man's movements are traced through time. A Queen is moved across the board, and taken with remorse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Musical sequence this chapter. You don't have to force yourself to synch it up.

_**PREVIOUSLY ON STARGATE:** _   
  
_\---_   
  
_Within a few minutes of returning, you, Joey, Daraya, and two of Daraya's Jade Blood friends- WANSHI ADYATA and BRONYA URSAMA- are sent to Earth for reasons that soon become clear._

_"What a Quantum Conundrum!" Both versions of Wanshi cry out as they spot each other._

_It's interesting to see the differences between them- the Wanshi Adyata of your universe is wearing a standard on-base Uniform. The Wanshi Adyata who came through the Quantum Mirror is wearing... a school girl's uniform._

_The same goes for the two versions of Bronya Ursama- the one from your world is dressed in an on-base uniform, the other is wearing a rather strikingly dark purple skirt with suspenders over her trollsign shirt._

_Of the other two girls you're familiar with, there's Daraya- yours, of course, still wearing the mission uniform, and the other wearing a school girl's uniform that seems to have had its sleeves torn off, and she's also not wearing quite as much makeup as yours does for some reason- and then there's Joey._

_The Human/Alternian difference is obvious between them, but then there's the other things._

_This other Joey still has her full Bracelet, but her clothes are.. well, she, too, is wearing a school uniform, but it's clearly not sized to her. Infact, it's suspiciously stolen looking, and has some splatters of teal blood on it. Her hair is styled differently too, curled in ways that your Moirail never styled her hair in._

_"Wow! So this universes' me is a troll! Neat!" Alt-Joey says, grinning, offering her right hand to your Joey. "I'm Joey Lalonde! Nice to meet you!"_   
_"Joey Claire," Your Joey says, shaking her alternate's hand. "And did you say Lalonde?"_

_"Yeah, that's my mother's name- or, er, adoptive mother I guess?" She shrugs. "I never really knew my birth parents. They died when I was just a baby. I guess you wouldn't have anything to worry about in that regard though! You're a born troll this world!"_

_Ouch! You can see a bit of pain flicker behind your Joey's eyes, and so does the other Joey._

_"Oh... Wait no, you're not, are you?" She glances at your Joey's bare left wrist, then at her own bracelet wearing arm, and she goes. "OH. I see."_   
  
_\---_   
  
_Your name is ROSE LALONDE and you think you're in love._

_"And then Joey taunted the Geometry and Maths Teacher with 'The 'milli' in 'millimeter' is short for millennial'- which, for obvious reasons to any one of us who'd paid attention earlier that day, made him very mad, and loose focus over the psionic locks holding us in place." The object of your possible affections, one KANAYA MARYAM, recounts some extravagant story over a bit of LUNCH in the SGC Cafeteria. "Aradia, of course, then had to rub it in further about how the 'deca' in 'decameter' is short for 'about to deck your ass' and then proceeded to slam him across the room by about an actual meter in length with a burst of her own psionics."_

_"Wow," you say, really intrigued by the story and only just partially distracted by how pretty her jade green eyes are. "How did he react to that?"_

_"Not well," Kanaya answers. "After all, a broken arm can cause a lot of intense pain and sometimes an impossible block to focusing on-"_

_"Kanaya!" And then in comes Joey and Xefros and... Joey? The Human one from the other dimension, you guess._

_"Oh, hello, Joey," Kanaya says. "What can I do for you?"_

_"Why did you wander off, and where's Aradia?" the other Joey asks, sounding.... Hrm, sounding very much like Roxy did after Jude took apart the Microwave._

_"I would have thought she was with you still," Kanaya answers, "as for me, I got hungry, and Rose here offered to buy me lunch."_

_The other Joey turns her gaze onto you and ooh- yeah, there's definitely some kind Roxy-esk disapproval in her eyes there. You wonder... Hrm._

_"Hi, I'm Rose Lalonde," you say, nonchalantly offering your hand._

_Other Joey blinks- caught off guard- then takes your hand and shakes it, "Joey, Joey Lalonde."_   
  
_\---_   
  
_Meanwhile, a certain Senator receives a phone call._

_"Another Bracelet's come through the Mirror?" he asks, shocked. "...Good. Send someone to retrieve it. Stealthily. Deniably. I don't want this getting back to me, understand?"_   
  
_\---_   
  
_Your name is JOEY CLAIRE and if you had to put a pin down on one particular piece of your feelings regarding your alternate universe self, it would be 'anger.'_

_Anger that she doesn't seem to care to want to go back to the Earth she came from originally. Anger that she's content just to bounce between worlds endlessly, her only constants being a team of Trolls who travel with her. Anger that her only reaction to meeting Jude was a blink, an "oh, that's neat" and nothing else._

_And you've got the MOST anger at how she doesn't seem to think Kanaya and Aradia can manage on their own._   
_You've talked to them all, not without some major discomfort on Kanaya's and the alternate Daraya's parts, and the picture you've been painted is..._

_One of the Jade Blooded girls who'd traveled with the other you's team had gotten romantically involved with the other you, and then shortly there after had died during a mission gone wrong. In the next world, or shortly there after, another version of that girl joined them, and she was the Guardian of Aradia and Kanaya, who also traveled with the group._

_Things had been fine, or so it seemed, up until another disaster had unfolded and the Jade Blooded girl ended up dying again, with the other you promising to take care of Aradia and Kanaya for her._

_The other Daraya told you that after that point, the Other You had started, well, becoming somewhat callous towards the people of the various worlds they visited. Not quite seeing them all as real people anymore and rather as echoes of archetypes and what not, only reserving her emotional reserves towards the people traveling with her._

_You also got the impression, but not quite in so many words from the girls themselves, that Aradia and Kanaya's tendencies to wander off on their own had lest to do with them just being trouble magnets and more to do with them trying to escape the other you's seemingly well-meaning over-baring tendencies to keep them on a short leash._   
  
_\---_   
  
_"No way," she said. "I can't stop moving for longer than a few days otherwise, they'll catch onto the dimension this Bracelet is in and come after us."_

_That also made you angry. So you tried offering the idea of letting Kanaya and Aradia settle down on a world of their own choosing, and..._

_"Not happening," the other you glared at you. "Those two couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag! I can't leave them alone or they'll end up getting themselves in trouble, or worse, killed! And if you're about to suggest leaving them under the care of someone here in this world, like yourself, you can forget it."_

_And you got really angry._

_"Maybe because you won't let them TRY?!" You'd ended up yelling at her. "Maybe they're always getting into trouble because you're suffocating them and they don't have any room to breathe? Huh!? Ever thought of THAT!?"_

_Other you had snarled, "Just because you used to BE me, doesn't mean you ARE me. So stop trying to butt into my life choices!"_

_"You're right! I'm NOT you!" You'd yelled at her. "I'd never be so selfish and stubborn as to dismiss the possibility that those girls might be able to DO something important! I'd never deny them the chance to prove themselves on a journey I was forcing them to go on!!"_

_"You don't know me! You don't know my life!" She'd yelled at you. "Who the hell do you think you are to JUDGE!? You're not even human anymore!!"_

_"NEWS FLASH!" you'd yelled back at her, "WE WERE NEVER HUMAN TO BEGIN WITH!!"_

_"...What the hell are you blabbering on about?" She asks in turn._

_"If you really came from a timeline where there was a STARGATE in the ATTIC of our GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE in FLORIDA," you'd stressed, "then your only divergence point from ME is the fact that your parents died before Jude was born! And THAT MEANS you're subject to all the same little timeline quirks that I AM!"_   
  
_\---_   
  
_The other you had stumbled backwards in shock- eyes watering in disbelief. "No way! You're lying! You're making that up!"_

_"I'm NOT!" you'd stressed. "Search your own goddamned feelings! You KNOW IT'S TRUE!!"_

_"I- I'm not- I'M NOT YOU!!" That was the point the other you had enough- you heard the sound of static and there was a flash of green light- and then she'd vanished into thin air. A self teleporting ability of some kind. Definitely not due to the BRACELET, though._   
  
_\---_

_"Me and my team should just leave through the Mirror," the other Joey says. "Get out of dodge and let this lady stew in her own juices. She's not my problem."_

_"She did just try to kidnap you," your Joey points out. "After you ran off on your own." The other Joey frowns. "Also, it's going to keep BEING your problem as long as you have that Bracelet. The Handmaid could just de-possess that woman and follow you through the Mirror for five, maybe six whole worlds before suddenly manifesting again and trying to steal it from you."_

_"Grr..." The Other Joey growls faintly, then sighs, defeated. "Alright. Fine. You make a convincing point. Let's exorcise this ghost and get this shit over with."_   
  
_\---_   
  
_The room around you suddenly flickers back and forth between the SGC isolation chamber and the forest on Diaspora._

_Suddenly, Xefros finds himself flung backwards against a wall/tree at the same moment his other self does, and you yourself get thrown against a wall, right next to where you're seeing after images of Mierfa. The other you, as a matter of course, is suddenly flung up against a tree that isn't really there, and gets super imposed against your own past self._

_"Wh- WHAT IS THIS!?" She yells out._

_"Of course it wouldn't be that easy!" Xefros yells as he watches the woman suddenly yell, and then falls silent as the ghost of the Handmaid steps out of her body, and into the mirage of her own past self._

_Her hand reaches out, and honestly, what else was there to expect but the other You's hand being yanked forwards as the Bracelet starts to come apart off of her wrist and travel across the room towards the Handmaid._

_Urgh. Stupid. Dumb. You should have seen this coming!_

_You see Xefros reaching out with his psychic powers to try and stop this from happening AGAIN, but the Handmaid snaps her fingers and suddenly--_

_"WAAAH!"/"OOF!"_

_You and him are hurtled across the room and smash into each other at high speeds, before you land on the floor, groaning._   
  
_\---_   
  
_You pick up the Staff Weapon and take aim at the Bracelet. (Bracelets??) For a moment, the other Joey is there, yelling out, pleading for someone to help her. You don't have to be psychic to tell that this Joey WON'T survive the Bracelet being forcibly taken from her unless you do something to stop this._

_You fire the staff weapon at your own damned Bracelet and pray that you don't miss._

_PCHOO!_

_As you watch that staff blast travel through the spectral present day ghost of the Handmaid, you watch as Karkat suddenly flickers into view swinging his crowbar into the past version of the Handmaid's head._

_The staff blast hits your former Bracelet and time ceases to have any meaning for far, far too long._

_And then you're back in the SGC, watching as yet another Bracelet falls to the floor, shattered and broken into pieces._

_Two shrill shrieks of "NO!" go out. One a terrified echo from your alternate universe self, and the other an enraged shout from a Ghost who suddenly has two very pointy knives shoved up into her spectral heart courtesy of none other than one Argo Lalonde._

_"YOUR TIME'S UP!" Argo roars, and then yanks the knives out with some kind of timey-wimey power that makes the blades glow a brilliant shade of crimson, and then the Ghost of the Handmaid is gone._

_"Nonononono!" your other self once more falls to her knees and grabs at the broken remains of HER Bracelet. "WHY!?" She looks up, an accusatory look in her eyes, glaring at you as she promises certain death. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!?"_

_"I had to," you say. "Otherwise you'd be dead."_

_"You're all fucking insane!" The other you hisses. "Buying time? Stealing seconds!? That's impossible!! All I saw was you aiming that stupid staff at me and BLASTING MY BRACELET!!!"_

_"And saved your life!" Xefros points out._

_"LIAR!!!" The other you yells. "You- FUCKING- THIS WAS ALL A TRICK!" She yells, collecting the fragments of her bracelet and holding them tight to her chest. "YOU'RE WORKING FOR THEM! THOSE BASTARDS WHO WANTED IT!!! YOU TRICKED ME! YOU FUCKING BACKSTABBING---!"_

_PCH-ZYU!!_

_And then she collapses as her version of Daraya shoots her with a Zat gun._

_"I think it'd be best," the other Daraya says, "If Bronya, Wanshi, and I take her back through the Mirror before she wakes up."_

_"What about us?" Kanaya asks from the observation room._

_The other Daraya looks the other Jade blood in the eyes, then looks to Aradia similarly, and then sighs. "I think it'll be better off for the both of you if you stay behind."_   
  
_\---_   
  
_"What- who?" The woman starts._

_"...Thisss... Wassss... Decidedly NOT part of the... equation." The man in the business suit hisses._

_"Hey," The man in the orange suit asks you. "Would that happen to be a Zat'nik'tel in your hand?"_

_Your name is Joey Claire, and you raise an eyebrow at him. "If it is?"_

_"Just wishing I'd had one of those things as of five minutes ago when that lunatic in the suit decided to set us on a crash course for the Combine Homeworld, is all," Suit guy answers._

_"Good to know," you whirl on the man in the business suit and fire off your Zat at him._

_PCH-ZYU!!_

_Much to everyone's surprise- the bastard in the business suit seems to disintegrate into nothing as he shrieks out an unearthly scream in surprise._

_Seems to, but your ears pick up a faint "WOOMSH" of a Bahro-styled self link happening as he vanishes.  
_   
_"Who are you? You look familiar."  
_   
_"Doctor Gordon Freeman," he answers. "The girl who was just about to walk through a door with the bastard you shot is Alex Vance."_

_"I am NOT a girl!" 'Alex' protests. "I am a fully grown woman who doesn't need you protecting me anymore, you jerk!"_

_"Yeah!? Well you were about to take a job with the same bastard who A! Started this Resonance Cascade business back at Black Mesa!" Gordon Freeman- you feel like you should know that name- "And B! SET UP EVENTS TO LET ELI DIE!!"_   
  
_\---_   
  
**_**dn~nnNNNNNNNNNNnnnnnnnnnn....**_ **

_[Missss.... Vance. It'sss time, for you to... Wake up. And sssstart with the... misssion that I have... hired you to complete.]_

_A set of zipties shattered, and a knife materialized within the floor- blade point down._

_[Gordon Freeeeman and the... Alien Interloper from another... Dimensssion. They ssseek to destroy the enginesss of... both shipsss. Preventing usss from... defeating the Combine.]_

_A pair of eyes flicker open, a haze over then._

_[So... Wake up, Missss Vanccce. Wake up and... Sspread the Asshess...]_

_\---_

_You and Freeman look up at a doorway far above you, and see that a woman has entered the room. She has a knife in hand, but nothing more. Not too dangerous just yet._

__"Oh, good,"_ The A.I. remarks. _"The Gang's all here. Again."__

_"Alex," Freeman starts. "You gotta let us finish this. If we do, we can blow up the Combine homeworld in a bunch of different dimensions at once!"  
_   
_"No, you're not," Alex glares, eyes... her eyes are hazy. Hrm. You reach out subtly with your mind towards hers while you kneel down and hurry to finish work on the project. "You're already jettisoning the Borealis. Trying to save it. Prevent us from destroying the Combine with it."_

_"That boat won't do anything against them, Alex," Freeman says. "And look. We're only sending it back to its last coordinates- the path TO hit the Combine Homeworld. It'll distract them long enough for us to jettison the power core from-"_

_And then you catch an echo of what Joey's lately taken to calling a PING, [He Liesss... Do Not Believe Him.]_

_"LIAR!!" Alex yells. "You just want the Borealis' tech for yourself, Gordon! You liar. You fucking. Stupid... God-DAMNED...!!" She shieks in anger. "Why did I ever delude myself into thinking you could SAVE US!?"_

_"I've been asking myself the same thing, Alex," Freeman says quietly._

* * *

The Standoff ends as Callie suddenly hurls herself at Gordon while captchaloguing the A.I. Core, grabbing both before-  
  
 _ **VRRRMMMSSHSHSHSHSshshshh...**_  
  
A link overtakes her and rips them out of the interior of the Mofang Ship, leaving only Alex behind.  
  
"No! NO!" Alex yells, standing in the reactor core room of the Mofang Cruiser as everything starts reacting and preparing to explode.  
  
The Naquadria containment for the Mirrordrive core flares in energy, and Alex screams as the flames briefly lick against her face--  
  
Only for time to stop, and for the G-Man to pull her through a rectangular rip in space time.  
  
They arrived, stumbling from the momentum that shouldn't have carried, onto the deck of some alien vessel, watching from its bridge through an inter-dimensional rift as the sun at the core of the Combine Dyson Sphere Super Novas-  
  
And Super Novas-  
  
And Super Novas again across countless realities.  
  
Alex hisses in pain. "What was that?"  
  
"I..." The G-Man hisses, clenching his fists. "I have No Idea."  
  
And then REALITY warped as some other dimension traveler's path crossed theirs, and dragged things into a frigid tundra with no small flare of dramatic impact.

* * *

[ **O <\--- STARGATE ATLANTS --->O** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0K2bRdtGlg)

* * *

**EARTH DATE: NOVEMBER 21ST, 2002.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 06/00/0006.**  
  
There was a subtle warping in space time in the midst of the snow storm. Almost as if a Hyperspace window was opening...  
  
And then a blue tear ripped itself into reality, and the Sovereign Slayer crashed nose long into the frozen tundra.  
  
Far in the distance, a long abandoned facility's sensors alerted its new inhabitants to a strange arrival, and so ships were dispatched to investigate.  
  


* * *

  
You are now the Fae Witch, MEDEA THE RULE BREAKER, and your escape from Alfheim and Oberonn's forces have dropped you smack dab into the middle of some kind of strange spaceship crash.  
  
The warriors who arrive to investigate are wearing suits designed to withstand hazardous environments, and you are eternally grateful to them offering you a small place inside their warm facility to recuperate.   
  
The Man and Woman who were onboard the strange vessel immediately begin wheeling and dealing with the leader of this place, making some kind of deal to sell the weapon upon it to these people in exchange for services provided.   
  
You ignore them. They are sure to be of little consequence in the future.  
  
Instead, you focus on playing up your arrival here being thrown off course by THEIR actions rather than the true reversal that it was. Still, it gets you a free ride to a warm planet with something called a STARGATE.  
  
From there, History proceeds as you dictate.  
  


* * *

  
  
 **EARTH DATE: DECEMBER 3RD, 2002.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 06/12/0006.**  
  
 **THE HUNTING GROUNDS.**  
  
The towering beast, HIRCINE, loomed dramatically over the realm. His body was large, muscular, and held a head not unlike a large deer's. He was so tall that only from his waste up was he visible, for the mountains and the trees of the realm obscured the rest of him.  
  
Standing before the G-Man, serving as Hircine's intermediary, was a man whose chest was bound in thick bandages. The Gruesome aftermath of a nearly fatal shooting.  
  
Colonel Ozma, he said his name was, and his eyes gazed into the G-Man's with no small measure of disapproval.  
  
"And... You're Sure that your worker can retrofit the Daedalus' Hyperdrive to open stable portals?" Ozma asked.  
  
"I can as-sure you that it will... function az you reQuire." The G-Man said with a casual tone.  
  


* * *

  
 **EARTH DATE: JUNE 24TH, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 01/05/0006.**  
  
And then Medea crashed into the Hunting Ground thanks to a busted teleport spell, and things went off the rail for everyone.  
  


* * *

  
  
 **EARTH DATE: NOVEMBER 21ST, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 06/02/0007.**  
  
"Alright everyone, remember safety protocol!" Freeman narrated as the front door of the facility opened. "Don't touch ANYTHING unless it's a data terminal that's been-"  
  
 _Time froze._

 _And the G-Man approached a random, unsuspecting human science intern._  
  
 _"Azz you en-ter... Think About..." The G-Man whispered to the boy. "Cre-ation. Ap-proval. War. Dess-troying the Wraith."_  
  
 _And then he backed away, time resuming._  
  
"-confirmed to not trigger any of this facility's vital functions," Freeman continued on without knowing what happened. "We don't want whatever they were developing here to activate."  
  
"Even if it's an Anti-Wraith Weapon?" the unfortunate intern asked.  
  
"Especially if it's an Anti-Wraith Weapon!" Freeman said, and everyone stepped inside.  
  
When the Intern did such, his latent ATA Gene activated with thoughts of defeating the Wraith once and for all.  
  


* * *

  
  
The resulting explosion only succeeded in flinging Freeman through the Stargate.  
  
Of course he'd recognized the chemical compound. The G-man would have to reconsider his assassination techniques...  
  


* * *

  
  
 **UNKNOWN DIMENSION.**  
  
 **UNKNOWN TIME.**  
  
Your name is Bronya Ursama, and Joey Lalonde has lost her goddamned mind.  
  
She's wrestling with another version of herself- a younger version, also Alternian, but native born and Fuschia blooded- one who still has a Bracelet, and is trying to pry the damned thing off of her other self's wrist with a fucking crowbar of all things.   
  
This is wrong.  
  
This is so goddamned wrong.  
  
But you can't do anything about it. Your Joey got her hands on a Zat gun in some world in-between this one and the one where her Bracelet was destroyed- where Kanaya and Aradia were left behind- and stunned you, Wanshi, and Daraya alike, locked you into a cage, and pretended you were this world's version of yourselves in an attempt to lure the Heiress of this world out.  
  
You yell out- trying to get your voice heard, but it doesn't carry.  
  
Your Joey put some kind of sound dampening tech onto the cage. Your voice won't carry, and you can't hear anything of the fight going on.  
  
The Heiress Joey yells something you can't make out, and then the bracelet glows with a blinding flash of red and blue.  
  
Your Joey's eyes widen in horror for a moment and then-  
  


* * *

  
  
Time pauses on that scene, and then rewinds to the moment before, and this time we can hear everything.  
  
"I don't know who you are, but you're going to regret messing with my plans!" The Heiress yells, readying her Bracelet. _"NOW! HYPERBEAM!"_  
  
Joey Lalonde's eyes widened- and then snapped shut.  
  
For several long, hanging seconds, nothing happens.  
  
Then, there's the sound of a door creaking open, and footsteps on a cold tile floor that is neither here nor there.  
  
Joey Lalonde's eyes open, and she finds that the Heiress version of herself is frozen, standing still.  
  
A man in a business suit stands behind her- and behind him, a large, rectangular section of pure light hangs like an unframed doorway.  
  
"Well..." The man adjusts his tie. "Issssn't thisss... Quite the Predicament you... Now find yourssself in, Misss Lalonde."  
  
Joey Lalonde wanted to ask, 'what are you doing here, bastard?' Neigh, she wanted to demand it. But despite her perception of time having been altered, her physical form refuses to move.  
  
"Oncce Again, we find oursselves in this dancce," The G-Man began. "Me, offering you employment. You, in a position sure to leave you... Dead. Should you decline. However, that Braccceelet of yourss isss... no longer here to allow you to cheat death. I find that I... Have all. The Time. in the World. And you do not."  
  
Joey Lalonde narrowed her eyes in the best approximation of a snarl she could manage.  
  
"I'm sssure you... Have Quesstionss, Questions that you dearly... wisssh to be answered. But I can... Assure you," the G-Man smirked quaintly. "All will be revealed in, due time."  
  
He circled around the Alternian Heiress, and reached a finger out to brush a strand of frozen hair away from her face. "Sssuch a sshame that- She refuses to... give you what you so rightly desire and want. I could snatch it from her... wrist, if I were so... Incclined. However, the stability of this timeline would utterly... colapse if I were to allow you to.... Sssuccceed in This Endeavor."  
  
The G-Man turned to look Joey Lalonde in the eyes, and he stared for what seemed to be an eternity. Joey Lalonde wished to yell, to rage, to demand he give it to her.  
But then, he said the words that made her rethink everything.  
  
"But even if I were to do... sssuch a thing. This Bracelet would reject you entirely. No. Murdering its heiress for your own ends?" He Tsk'd. "However... I can grant you an opportunity. An Opportunity that- I was unaware of the- lassst time we sspoke." He smiled, a creepy, predatory smile. "An Unending to your... Unfortunate Circumstances, has provided itssself."  
  
And this time, Joey Lalonde's mouth worked and she asked- "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Sssign on with me, and," The G-Man adjusted his tie again. "I can grant you a New Bracelet, that hassss... No Current Owner. All That I ask In Return... Isss that you bring to me... Certain... Items Of Interest, I shall say. In exchange for these small tasksss... You will be granted everything you could ever have wished for being returned to you."  
  


* * *

  
 _ **PCHWBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!**_  
  
A large trench is left behind when the light fades, and Joey Lalonde is nowhere to be seen.  
  
You are Bronya Ursama, and you lower your head in grief, and mourning.  
  


* * *

  
 **EARTH DATE: SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 03/20/0007.**  
  
You are Bronya Ursama, and you can only stare on in awe as something MASSIVE and GROWING bursts out of the middle of the device that it'd crawled into like it's the fucking Kool-Aid Man. That is, if the Kool-Aid Man was the size of a car- _ **WHIRRRR CLICK CLICK CLICK!**_ \- And had the ability to unfold a ridiculous set of Machine guns.  
  
Two sets of barrels to each of the four weapons- two vertical in orientation nearest to the now RED glowing eye port that were swaying left and right, searching for targets; and two horizontal in orientation, tilting up and down from their angle points attached to the ludicrously sized magazine barrels which fed both sets of guns.  
  
All of the guns narrowed in towards Marvus, and THE ORB exclaimed with a FAR too energetic and cute voice- "TARGET ACQUIRED!"  
  
The Portal Machine proceeded to spark and explode dramatically behind the super sized orb of doom.  
  
The residual portal energy above you faded out, and the thundering storms around you went silent.  
  
Marvus just stared at whatever the hell just destroyed their machine, and whined, "Oh come on! Four to Two!? That's just cheating!"  
  
"I believe the proper ratio is Two to One," Weiss corrected, "But even so. We didn't come here to lose, Clown. Now surrender or Miss Vance here loses her-"  
  


* * *

  
  
Time stopped, and Alex Vance breathed easy as a doorway of light appeared in the frozen landscape.  
  
Trailing behind the G-Man, was an angry, raging woman stepping through the vortex.  
  
Alex recognized her as a human version of the Alternian bitch who'd sabotaged the Borealis mission.  
  
"About time you showed up," Alex griped, storming away from Weiss' sword. "Who's the pipsqueak?"  
  
"I... Apologize for my delay," The G-Man adjusted his tie. "I Wasss... Finishing an Overssstanding Recruitment. Alex Vanccce, meet... Joey Lalonde."  
  
Alex Vance looked to Joey Lalonde, and the two stared in lockstep for an eternity as the G-Man lamented the destruction of the portal device.  
  
"So, this is what the bastard does when he's not chasing me saying the Combine want my Bracelet, eh?" Joey Lalonde finally asked.  
  
"I suppose so," Alex glances over her shoulder. "I think that thing's busted. We taking the Clown and Lynera, or what?'  
  
"No," The G-Man shakes his head and turns his back to the ruined machine. "Marvusss Zzoloto hasss... Outlived His Usefullnessss. With this Failure." He held out his hand, focused, and- BIP!  
  
A Bracelet appeared in his hand- seven crystals gleaming.  
  
"Azz... Promissed." He offered the Bracelet to Joey Lalonde. "Now. We have... Work to repair."  
  
And as Joey Lalonde placed the bracelet back on her wrist, she paused to look at Daraya Jonjet, and Bronya Ursama...  
  
And she whispered, "I'll get you back, Aradia, Kanaya. Just you wait."  
  
And then with that, she stepped back through the portal, and it snapped shut and time resumed.  
  


* * *

  
  
You do a double take because fucking Alex Vance vanished into thin air.  
  
"What the-?" Weiss stared on in shock.  
  
"Uh oh," Marvus winces. "Suit guy took her and left us behind."  
  
"Why's that an Uh-oh?" Daraya asks.  
  
"Because Alex was generating the City 17 Noble Phantasm that we're standing on, Duh!" Lynera exclaimed, annoyed, before suddenly looking scared. "Oh. Fuck. We're standing ontop of it and-"  
  
The Ground suddenly lurched beneath your feet, and you don't need to look to know...  
  
Daraya's muttered "Aw, Dip" confirms it before gravity suddenly pulls at your feet and you FALL, hugging Karako tight to your chest.  
  
 _ **"FUUUUUCKKKKK YOOOOOUUUU, VAAAAAAANCEEE!!!!"**_ Lynera yelled out...  
  
And as much of a bitch as she has been, you can't help but agree with her in that moment.  
  


* * *

  
  
 **EARTH DATE: DECEMBER 23RD, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 07/04/0007.**  
  
 _"Christmas Fucking Sucks!"_  
  
Your name is Akita Red, and you can't help but agree with Freeman's loud exclamation as he enters the shockingly empty Atlantis cafeteria.  
  
Richard Woolsey had declared that everyone take the Christmas Holidays as a free-for-all Winter Vacation however they saw fit this year. A vast majority of Atlantis' population decided to take the Scening Linking Tours back to Earth and Alternia Galaxy for the sudden time off.  
  
Given that Pegasus itself had slowed to a halt over the last few weeks in terms of hostile activity? It wasn't all bad timing...  
  
But what sucks is that basically everyone FUN has gone off to do stuff.  
  
According to schedule, it's only Boldir, Diemen, and Chloe in the Cafeteria crew for days, for example. Marinette and Shirou are back on Earth visiting their respective families.  
  
Of your team? Maka wound up dragging Soul along home to "Meet the Parents." And Lloyd's gone back to Diaspora to try to deal with a summons from his old friends.  
  
You'd have gone with him, but... He said it was something he had to deal with on his own.  
  
Of AR-1, only Ronon Dex is on Atlantis. He's over there in the corner pecking away at some large piece of meat. Teyla's off visiting her fellow Athosians, Mckay's gone off to who knows where, Sheppard and his lovers are completely gone as well for family stuff with Family.   
  
And when you do the math of "That Fucking Huge Family Tree," it seems that also included in that bunch ended up being Colonel Claire, Tetrarch Dammek, Dr. Ohphee, Roxy Lalonde, Rose Lalonde, Kanaya Maryam-Lalonde, and even Aradia Megido! Even Dr. Jackson, Dr. Gardner, Jimmyy and Morgan went too! Wait... yes, even Doctor Fraiser too! God, that's just, practically, every major person in Atlantis at once!  
  
Tyzias and Daraya? Back to Diaspora for personal reasons. Mallek and Keiko, Silica, Minori, Touya, and Yuuki? Visiting family on the Unwritten.   
  
Gray's off home on Earth too. Ruby Branwen went to visit D'ni/Releeshan (One of those? You're not sure which). Karren and Rhubee are who knows where. You don't have a mental link connecting to them so what does it even matter?  
  
Most of the Jaffa and Tok'ra are gone, most Humans, most Alternians, most Fae.... All gone to visit friends and family.  
  
Atlantis is basically a skeleton town right now. Only the Astro, Delta, and Daedalus crews are around, and even THEN, they're running supply runs across Pegasus due to everyone being scared shitless of using a Stargate.  
  
You hate how empty the city is.  
  
You know its temporary but... fucking hell. It's too quiet.  
  
Way, way, way, way, WAY too quiet.  
  
...Maybe you should have gone off to the Unwritten to visit with your brother for the time... But then again...  
  
Your ears twitch as you hear thunder roll outside.  
  
A storm is coming.  
  
You just pray it's a short and simple one.

* * *

Your name is Major Evan Lorne, and you have the unenviable position of filling in for John Sheppard, Argo Lalonde, AND yourself all at the same time during this holiday season.  
  
There shouldn't be as much paperwork to do as there is given how quiet everything is but damn it. You have WAY TOO MUCH HOMEWOR- Wait. No. Not Homework. What is this, high school??? No. it's TOO MUCH PAPERWORK.  
  
Bluh. Your brain is a tired mess.  
  
Being promoted to full time HEAD OF SECURITY has been an interesting job, especially what with you stepping out of field duty, but even so...  
  
Three job's worth of paperwork piles up, especially when Sheppard was behind on his paperwork to begin with before hoisting it off on you.  
  
You'd shake your fist ruefully into the air at the back strain, but honestly, Lalonde's got a nice desk chair and your back isn't straining too badly.  
  
"Man," still, you take a break and stretch your arms out. "Who knew Christmas would be so damn boring?"  
  
Woolsey scoffs from his desk as he, too, works on paperwork. "That's generally how my family holidays have been after my father passed."  
  
"Ah, yeah, I heard something about that back when Rodney got the weird thing in his head. Alzheimers, right?" You ask, and Woolsey nods.  
  
"Yes, I'm just glad that Pegasus' version of it has a treatable cure now," Woolsey looks up from his paperwork, a wistful look in his eyes. "If only we could export it to Earth. Shame that it's not a parasite back home."  
  
"That's how a lot of things turn out," you say with a shrug.  
  
Lightning flashes outside- and thunder rolls through the city air.  
  
"Speaking of how things turn out," Woolsey chuckles. "I'll bet Sheppard and the others are glad to be out of the City during a storm like this. I read the mission report. Bad memories all around."  
  
"Yeah," you agree. "There's always that."  
  


* * *

  
  
Far out in the stormy sea, to the point that Atlantis was but a flickering outline among the flashes of lightning, a square window of space opened, allowing three figures to peer out into the space beyond.  
  
"So. That's Atlantis, huh?" Joey Lalonde asked, gazing out at it all, wearing a sort of near-futuristic Civil Protection uniform. "...I don't like it."  
  
"Do az I have azked," The G-Man stated, "and bring me the Rule Breaker, and... You shall have the op-portunity to destroy it."  
  
Without even acknowledging his words, Joey Lalonde donned the skull-like helmet and spread a pair of sickly looking red wings from her back before taking off into the storm towards Atlantis.  
  
"...Well, she's a loose cannon ready to fire," Alex remarked. "Is Rule Breaker really that important to our plans?"  
  
"No," the G-Man smirked. "However, in at-tempting her ssseccondary objective, she will provide an exx-ccellent dissTraction, for the people of Atlantiz, while... you steal what we really. Need. From the City's Database."  
  
"If I can even find it, you mean," Alex scowled. "Janus' secret lab has remained pretty well hidden even to the People of Atlantis. And they've been actively searching for it. Given you can't even just pop us into the thing? What chance do I have?"  
  
"More than you... Ssusspect, dear Vance." The G-Man adjusted his Tie.   
  
"I don't get why we have to kill him anyways," Alex shook her head. "He's not doing anything."  
  
"Ex-actly." The G-man said. "That iss why Gordon- Freeman- must Die."  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Raddek Zelenka, and you step out onto one of the Grounding Station platforms, dressed in a rain coat, and armed with tech scanners.  
  
With all the lightning bolts striking the city, you want to make sure that the Grounding Stations are working as intended.  
  
As you conduct your scans, something OMINOUSLY RED on the horizon catches your attention.  
  
You squint through the rain and the lightning... and your first thought is, "Oh, it's just an airplane."

Then you double take because there are NO AIRPLANES on New Lantea.

You duck inside, and keep an eye on the dot as it grows closer and closer to the City...  
  
Shit, is it inside the City Shield perimeter by now? You think it already is. Whatever it is. It's... humanoid? It looks something like... like...  
  
You take to the radio, "[Atlantis Control, this is Doctor Zelenka. I think we have a problem.]"  
  


* * *

  
  
"Repeat that?" Your name is Amelia Banks, and you blink.  
  
 _"We have a problem. A Small red dot of light, approaching the city's central tower rapidly,"_ Zelenka dutifully repeats what he just said- _"It looks like a Fae with crimson wings in some kind of black and white suit of armor. I think it's already within the City Shield's perimeter."_  
  
"We're not picking up anything on scanners," Chuck chimes in a moment later.  
  
 _"The Suit may be protecting it,"_ Zelenka suspects. _"Look with your eyes! You can't miss it! It's starting to circle Stargate Ops!"_  
  
You look to Chuck, who gets up from his chair and desk--  
  
That's when the window behind the Stargate shatters inwards, and a heavily suited figure waving a very nasty looking gun rolls into the room, yelling in a clearly modulated voice: **"ON THE GROUND HANDS IN THE AIR NOBODY MOVE OR I VAPORIZE THIS ENTIRE CITY!!"**  
  
Quietly, you whisper to Zelenka, "Zelenka? Get Help. Now."  
  
He wisely says nothing as the entire Operations Tower is taken hostage.

* * *

"Shit!" Boldir yelled suddenly. "We've got hostiles on base!"  
  
Seconds later, Zelenka comes running into the room. "I can't get hold of any of the security teams from here to the Grounding Stations and there's been a breach in Stargate Operations!"  
  
You are Gordon Freeman, and you groan, loudly. "Fucking Hell! This is why I hate Christmas. There's never any good surprises!"  
  
"How's that possible?" one of the few Alternians who stayed on base stands up- fins on her face so Sea Dweller... Oh. Seawav, right. Cridea Seawav, ex Heiress to Alternia's Empire in the distant past. Right.   
  
"Multiple infiltrators," Boldir exits the main kitchen area. "One's taking out Security teams, and the other's providing a blatant distraction from them by taking Stargate Ops hostage."  
  
"Can you get a read on their minds?" Chloe asks, following the Mind Reader out of the kitchen into the main hall.  
  
"No," Boldir shakes her head. "Not the one in Stargate Ops. They're protected by something that's rejecting my attempts at reading their mind. But the other one," she squints suddenly, and then glances downwards. "Oh. Fuck." She turns towards you. "Gordon, it's Alex."  
  
And just like that, a switch gets flipped inside your mind.  
  
"NOBODY USE THEIR RADIOS! Ditch them now!" You order, tossing your ear piece and radio to the ground. You stomp on the Ear piece for good measure. "Boldir, Chloe, You're with me," you order. "Akita, Cridea, Zelenka, figure out who the FUCK is in Stargate Ops. And if ANYONE even catches a GLIMPSE of a pale snake in a business suit, you fucking SHOOT HIM ON SIGHT!"  
  
Nobody bats an eye at that order.  
  
Ronon stands from his table, and asks, "What can I do?"  
  
You blink, processing...  
  
Then, you order him, "Link to Earth and warn them we have a Foothold situation. Bring Back ANYONE you can get on short notice! Let's MOVE PEOPLE! We're on the clock!"  
  


* * *

  
  
"Well," your name is Richard Woolsey, and you're placed in a small crowd of everyone in the Control Tower infront of the Stargate by the suited intruder. "This is certainly an unwelcome surprise. May I ask who you are?""  
  
The suited figure eyes you through what looks like a skull-themed gas mask. Its lensed eyes are tinted red and you can't see through them. On their chest armor is a series of markings that, put together, look like the NUMBER 5. They carry with them a strange sort of rifle, you can't get a good look at it just yet.  
  
 **"No."** They say, in the same modulated voice. **"You May Not."**  
  
"Can I atleast ask what you Want then?" You ask.  
  
A long, considering pause.  
  
 **"My Demands are as Follows,"** the figure traces the top horizontal bar of the Five. **"One. Rule Breaker."** The downwards line is traced. **"Two. Doctor Gordon Freeman."** The next horizontal bar, **"Three. Aradia Megido,"** the next Vertical, **"Four. Kanaya Marayam,"** and then the final line. **"Five. Colonel Joey Claire."**  
  
"That's... a lot of demands," you say. "Most of them aren't even on the Base right now. I could contact them if you'd let-"

 _ **"No."** _The Suited figure cuts you off, flicking off the safety on their alien looking, assault rifle type weapon, and moving it into a better position to see. [It starts to whine as it builds up a charge.](https://half-life.fandom.com/wiki/Overwatch_Standard_Issue_Pulse_Rifle) **"You will sit here, and wait. I will make my demands to the City, and others will serve as my messengers."**

Then, they pull off a small device from their belt, places it on the floor, and activates it- generating a large forcefield around your group of captive hostages AND the Stargate.  
  
Then, they flick on the safety to their gun, the whining charge stops, and they turn to leave up the stairs to the control room.  
  
"Hey, uh," Major Lorne starts, very quietly. "Did you see that piece of tech on their left wrist?"  
  
"No," you say just as quietly, "I was more taken in by their clearly alien machine gun. It looks familiar. I think from one of Freeman's report sketches?"  
  
"Yikes. Well, anyways," Lorne winces. "I recognized that Bracelet. It's Joeys."  
  
"What?" Banks asks, surprised. "Colonel Claire's Magic Bracelet? How's that possible?"  
  
"No Idea," Lorne says, gazing up at the Control Room. "But their threat about vaporizing the city? That's so plausible right now I'd rather not risk anything."  
  
"Lovely," you grimace. "This is absolutely just fantastic."

* * *

Nobody hears the faint sound of sock-clad feet running against the floor from down the hallway as you, Akita Red, retreat from your spy work.   
  
Mentally, your timer for your stealth spell counts down. Five, four, three, two..  
  
You round the corner and find Cridea and Zelenka waiting where you left them, just as your cloaking spell vanishes and you're revealed to them again.  
  
"Well? How'd it go?" Cridea asks.  
  
"We've got someone in some futuristic Police Uniform with a skull mask holding up Stargate Operations," you explain decaptchaloging your shoes into your hand and putting them back on."They're bound up around the Stargate in a forcefield. If I had to guess, the threat is that if we don't do what they want, they'll kawoosh 'em."  
  
"Very Brutal, if effective," Zelenka grimaces.   
  
"Worse, Major Lorne claims he recognized one of the pieces of tech the intruder was wearing," you look to Cridea. "I saw it too, though I didn't recognize it for what it was. A white bracelet with seven, rainbow hued crystals."  
  
"Shit," Cridea swore. "Parallel Dimension Bracelet User?"  
  
"I think their next move is to announce their demands to the City," you continue your report. "They gave a list to Woolsey. Rule Breaker, Freeman, Aradia, Kanaya, and Colonel Claire."  
  
"...Oh, fuck," Cridea swore again. "I think I know who it is."  
  
"You do?" Zelenka asks. "How?"  
  
"The one thing Aradia, Kanaya and Joey have in common is that Aradia and Kanaya were traveling with an Alternate Joey who had her Bracelet _Destroyed by Our Joey_ when the Handmaid tried to steal it. She went nuts and had to be Zatted by her own version of Daraya!"  
  
"So, Rule Breaker and Doctor Freeman are her official mission objectives," Zelenka summarizes, "and the rest are petty revenge?"  
  
"We can't let her hold Stargate Ops," Cridea says, narrowing her eyes. "What other weaponry did she have besides the Bracelet?"  
  
"Some kind of gun, it looked almost like a P-90, but more alien. Sleek, black, sort of angular in places," you describe. "Woolsey thought he recognized it from one of Freeman's report sketches, if that makes any difference?"  
  
"Could be anything, but given Alex Vance is in the city and a police uniform with skull mask description," Zelenka winces, and pushes his glasses back up his nose. "It sounds like one of the weapons from Freeman's world for sure, then. The Suit would be a Civil Protection uniform, and the weapon a standard sidearm that could fire not only bullets, but plasma-orbs that fired off at high speeds and could disintegrate anyone hit by them. Pulse Rifle AR2 model."  
  
"Oh, that's just cheating," you grimace. "But noted. Plasma balls of insta-death could be flying if she lets loose with the gun."  
  


* * *

  
  
 _"ATTENTION CITY OF ATLANTIS,"_ a voice boomed over the intercoms as you, Ronon Dex, make your way to the city's book room. You pause briefly behind a pillar to gather intel. _ **"I HAVE CAPTURED YOUR COMMANDING OFFICERS, AND IN EXCHANGE FOR THEIR SAFE RETURN, I DEMAND THE FOLLOWING."**_  
  
Oh, Great. One of THOSE types.  
  
 _ **"ONE. RULE BREAKER MUST BE DELIVERED TO ME. TWO. GORDON FREEMAN AND COLONEL JOEY CLAIRE MUST BE BROUGHT TO ME FOR IMMEDIATE EXECUTION."**_  
  
Oh, like hell those are ever going to happen.  
  
 _ **"THREE. I DEMAND ARADIA MEGIDO AND KANAYA MARYAM BE BROUGHT TO ME AS WELL. YOU HAVE ONE HOUR TO BRING ME RULE BREAKER, AND TWO HOURS FOR THE REST. IF I DO NOT RECEIVE RULE BREAKER WITHIN THAT HOUR, I WILL BEGIN KILLING HOSTAGES. IF I HAVE NOT GOTTEN FREEMAN, CLAIRE, ARADIA, OR KANAYA BY THE END OF TWO HOURS, ANY REMAINING HOSTAGES LEFT ALIVE WILL BE EXECUTED VIA STARGATE. YOUR TIME STARTS NOW."**_  
  
And then everything goes silent.  
  
You book it for the Book Room at double speed.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Cmon! COME ON! COME OOOONNNN!!!" Freeman growls out as he searches rapidly through Dr. Gina Kae's lab. "Where is it!?"  
  
"Where's what?" Chloe asks.   
  
You are Boldir Lamati, and you can't help but chuckle. "Gordon's looking for a project of Doctor Kae's, one in which she attempted to re-create one of the Bio-Suit Morphers her other self from Corinth made."  
  
"Oh," Chloe blinks. "I didn't realize she made one?"  
  
"She's been working on it off and on, and tapped me for help on it when she hit a road block," Freeman answered. "Something about the Resonance Wavelength Frequencies not-! GAH! Come ON, Gina, where the hell did you put it!? -Not working right because of 'colors already in use' or whatever. Anyways... AHHA!" Freeman then pulled out a small metal brief case, and popped it open. "Here we Are!"  
  
He pulled out the[ WRIST MORPHER](https://powerrangers.fandom.com/wiki/Rev_Morpher) and an [ENGINE CELL](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/powerrangers/images/9/98/Soul-45.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20081102044104).   
  
"I know you wanted to use these for yourself, Gina, but rule one of risky science is to use a test subject first!" Freeman says before strapping the golden-bronze and black colored brace onto his wrist.   
  
Waves of energy seemed to ripple out from it across his arm, and up through the rest of his body.  
  
"Woooah," he shudders. "Tingly." He pockets the Engine Cell. "Now then, let's go find Alex."  
  
"You're not morphing?" Chloe asks. "What's the point of getting the Morpher and not immediately morphing?"  
  
"Gotta wait for when it's dramatically appropriate," Freeman answers. "Also, There's a Recharge Issue. I don't want to waste energy until I ABSOLUTELY need it."  
  
"Fair enough," Chloe nods.  
  
Freeman looks to you, and you nod.  
  
"I'll lead the way," you say.  
  


* * *

  
  
The wind is blowing in from outside the city, rain is dashing into the Gate Room, and you feel apprehension.  
  
Your name is Cridea Seawav, and you're about to do one of the scariest things imaginable. And that's counting the fact that you confronted the EMPRESS OF YOUR WORLD in a one on one duel.  
  
Zelenka and Akita are sneaking up the Jumper Bay as you think, and you've got a role to play.  
  
You're about to play distraction to someone with two different means of vaporizing you instantly.  
  
You steel yourself, bracing for the act you're about to pull.  
  
C'mon, Cridea, it'll be no different from being Reenah Kraken.   
  
...Except you're going against what you assume is an alternate version of the girl who helped save you from a deadly fate.  
  
No Pressure or anything.  
  
Glub, speaking of pressure, the wind blowing through the shattered window is giving you a headache from the air pressure differential.   
  
Okay. So. A little pressure.  
  
Just a tiny pressure.  
  
You can do this. You can do this.  
  
You round the corner, and step into view of the hostages in the Gate Room.  
  
You call out- "Uh! Demands person?"  
  
You wince, god, that sounded flimsy as hell.  
  
 **"WHO IS THERE?"** a voice booms out, modulated to hell.  
  
"Ju-Just the messenger," you don't even need to force the stutter. Glubbing hell, that was a terrifying voice. "May I enter? Please? I'm unarmed."  
  
A lie, technically. All your weapons are in your Sylladex.  
  
 **"VERY WELL. APPROACH AND ASCEND THE STAIRS TO THE CONTROL ROOM, BUT DO NOT ENTER. HANDS IN THE AIR."**  
  
Okay then.  
  
You step out into the Gate Room, hands held above your head.  
  
Woolsey gives you a searching look, and Lorne mouths "Bracelet" at you as if you didn't already know which he honestly probably doesn't know that- UGH. TANGENT. IGNORE!!!  
  
You step out around the force shield, and begin heading into the main bulk of the Gate Room, gazing up at the Control Room.  
  
The masked figure stands at a balcony, arms crossed in a defensive way with that rather fancy looking rifle held in a resting pose.  
  
 **"Report,"** The masked figure declares.  
  
"Uh, well, we, sent someone to Earth to fetch Freeman, Joey, Kanaya and Aradia," you start. "We... We don't know how long it'll be for them, to get here though, but we've sent for them."  
  
The right arm moves positions holding the rifle out to the side, and you swallow, spotting the bracelet resting on the opposite wrist. It seems... oddly dull.  
  
 **"Have you now?"** The suited figure asks. **"What of Rule Breaker?"**  
  
"We... We don't know where it is," you don't get to finish the sentence as the Rifle gets pointed at you with one hand- it whines ominously, and one of the barrels seems to glow with light.  
  
 **"LIAR."**  
  
"I- I'm not! I swear!" Its really the honest truth. "I don't know where it's being kept and it was traded around a bunch of times in secret to get it hidden securely!"  
  
That's the story you were told and you're sticking to it!  
  
Silence save for the whining keen of that gun passes.  
  
She could read your mind with Regent if she wanted to. So why-?  
  
 _ **"I know you from somewhere."**_  
  
...Fucking what?  
  
"I'm- sorry??" you ask. "I don't think we've met."  
  
With the left hand, the helmet is grabbed, and tossed off, revealing a glaring, angry Joey Lalonde, gazing down at you.  
  
Lightning cracked outside, the thunder rumbling in through the opened window, shaking the room.   
  
"You," Joey Lalonde declared. "I know you. You're Osturi Scorbn!"  
  
...Who the fuck...?  
  
"Uh... no?" you tilt your head. "I'm pretty sure that's not my name at all."  
  
"...You... You seriously..." She stared for a moment, then asked, "You're saying you're not the bitch who tried chasing me into-" She stopped. "You really don't-?"  
  
"I seriously have no idea what you're talking about," you say. "Parallel Dimensions Plus Time Travel Equals Me Having No Clue Who the Fuck You're Talking About!"  
  
The Jumper Bay doors start to open then, and you dive for cover before you can get shot.  
  


* * *

  
  
Alex Vance muttered to herself something unprintable as she scrolled through hundreds of Ancient Database entries.  
  
"How hard is it to find a reference to a fucking secret lab?" She remarks.  
  
"Well it wouldn't be a secret lab if it were that easy to find," Gordon Freeman stepped into the room, and Alex Vance whirled around- raising a Pulse Rifle of her own at him. He didn't so much as flinch as he said, "Hello, Alex."  
  
"Shit, Gordon..." She swore, staring at him and almost lowering her weapon for a moment. "When the hell did you learn to shut your mouth?"  
  
Freeman smirked, "Please, Alex, I've always been good at knowing when to keep my mouth shut, though, considering the amount of times you ignored me, I just hedged my bets on you being partially deaf when you're hyper-focusing on a problem. I didn't even need to take my shoes off to be quiet!"  
  
Alex snarled, then grimaced, shaking her head for a moment. "Fine. Whatever. Just tell me what you're doing here and not going up to the Control Room like Lalonde asked."  
  
"Joey Lalonde, huh?" Freeman sighed. "Yeah, that tracks. Let me guess. Civil Protection costume like Barney used to wear? Pulse Rifle like that one?"  
  
Alex Vance says nothing in response to that. She repeats instead, "What are you doing here, Gordon?"  
  
"I know a Trap when I see one, Alex," Freeman says, palming something small, grey and vaguely rectangular into his right hand, fidgeting with it. "And more importantly. I know a DISTRACTION where I see one. I knew you'd be doing something hacker-ish. Unauthorized Datatap of the City's Database was easy enough to track down."  
  
"So what- you came here to finish what we started on the Borealis!?" Alex asked, shifting the grip on her weapon lest her hands sieze up from the tension.   
  
"No," Freeman narrows his eyes. "I came here to distract you while we locked out this data terminal."  
  
Said terminal shuts down, for lack of power.   
  
Alex Snarls, "Bastard!"  
  
"Aaaand I came here to ask you something very important."  
  
"Get on with it, then!!"  
  
"What do you say to a notched, spinning wheel that's rotating out of place?" Freeman asked, smirking with an obvious pun as the device in his hand settled into a specific orientation.  
  
It was then that Alex noticed the strange device on Gordon Freeman's left wrist- specifically, an opened slot on the top of it that had just been sitting there, taunting, waiting for something to slide into it- and paired that to the object in his hand.  
  
"Oh Hell No!" Alex flicked off the safety to her rifle- it whined as she squeezed the secondary fire trigger.  
  
And the charge took a few seconds too long to build before it fired.  
  
 ** _"RPM!"_** Gordon Freeman slammed the Engine Cell into the Morpher, the lid closing automatically, and he flung his wrist out to protect himself from the glowing orb of death that launched out of the barrel. _**"GET IN GEAR!"**_  
  
Simultaneously, several things happened.  
  
First, Gordon's fingers grabbed onto the pull lever, flipped it up, and dragged it into position mere seconds before the orb of doom was slated to hit him.  
  
Second, a lightning bolt struck the random city spire near to where Gordon and Alex were standing- the energy burst through the walls due to a faulty piece of grounding, creating an explosion of sparks and a flaring burst of orange light, filling the hallway behind Gordon as this happened.  
  
Third, the City of Atlantis shook from the impact of the lightning at the same time the pulse round smashed into the Morpher- power cutting out all over the city as circuit breakers were tripped.  
  
And Fourth...  
  
Across the Galaxy in her lab on Floor 9 of the Unwritten, Corinth City's Doctor K sneezed for no apparent reason, and a relocated Crocodile Carrier Zord's eyes snapped open for seemingly no reason.  
  


* * *

  
  
At the computer terminal she was working at to disable Alex's computer terminal access, Chloe suddenly yelped in shock and awe as an electric shock ran through the terminal through her arms- flinging her across the room.  
  
"Shit!" Boldir yelled, and ran over to check on the woman as the power cut out through the room.  
  


* * *

  
  
Power suddenly cuts out to the tower as everything shakes- and the Jumper Bay doors jam themselves in a half-opened state. Nowhere near large enough for a Jumper to get through.  
  
"NO!" Joey Lalonde yells out. "DAMN IT!"   
  
Shit, you're inclined to agree. That's not good! Lightning strike must have taken out power across the City somehow. Fuse blown??  
  
Doesn't matter.  
  
Joey 5 up there starts storming down the stairs, rifle in hand, ready to fire off-  
  
 _ **SNAP-HISS!!**_  
  
Your LASER CUTTER ignites in a moment and you swing out and slice the front end of the thing off.  
  
You're about to swing in for a second strike when she fucking dodge rolls out of the way.  
  
 ** _"THAT SWORD!"_** She yells. "You know the me of this world, don't you!? She must've given it to you!" her right hand discards the broken pulse rifle and moves to grasp onto the Bracelet around her wrist. _"I'm not letting you destroy it for her! **I won't let either of you decide MY DESTINY!"**_  
  
And then she draws out a baton from around her back, flicks it out to full extension and---  
  
Shit, is it sparking on the end??  
  
Fuck, it totally is, isn't it?  
  
That's just not fair.

* * *

Sparks flared and flashed as Alex covered her face and torso from the flare back, before daring to look into the smoke cloud from the resulting explosion of her Pulse Rifle's secondary fire having smashed into Gordon Freeman's suddenly acquired morpher.  
  
"Hah... Hahaha... Wow..." She laughed. "I have no idea what the hell you just tried to pull, Gordon! But it didn't work!"  
  
Then- a gleam of orange light pierced through the smoke cloud- and then it burst away with a sudden change of airflow- almost as if something very large had blown it all away.  
  
"Oh You've GOT to be KIDDING ME!" Alex exclaimed as the smoke cleared and revealed a field of glowing orange energy in the shape of a humanoid figure. The Morphing sequence finished as the field flashed away with another small explosion of sparks in the hallway behind him, revealing that yes.  
  
Gordon Freeman had Survived.  
  
And Yes.  
  
He was wearing an Orange colored RPM Ranger Suit with a fancy stylized "6" on the chest, and a crocodile themed helmet over his head.  
  
 _ **"BWAAHAHAHAHAHA!"**_ Freeman laughed like a madman, throwing his arms into the air. _**"I FEEL THE POOOOWEERRRRR!!!"**_  
  
He stretched out his arms and sort of hopped from foot to foot- the stupid little golden wheels around his lower legs and arms whirling around with audible squealing noises from the energy.  
  
Alex swore several things in that moment that were assuredly unfit for print, and then opened fire on him with the primary firing trigger, with the fire rate set to Full Auto.  
  
All of those bullet shots sparked harmlessly against the Ranger Suit, and Freeman yelped- dodge rolling out of the line of fire.  
  
 _ **"NOT COOL, ALEX!"**_ Freeman yelled at her. **"I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF MY _POWER UP MONTAGE!"_**  
  
 _ **"YOU DON'T GET TO DO SHIT LIKE THAT, YOU WANNA BE PROTAGONIST!"** _Alex yelled in turn.  
  


* * *

  
You are Akita again, and you swear as you and Zelenka descend the stairs into the hallway and exit into the Gate Room.  
  
Cridea's got her light saber clashing with- Holy shit, it really is a Human version of Colonel Claire!- the intruder's electric baton.  
  
"Let's get that shield turned off," Zelenka says. "Then we help Cridea!"  
  
"Got it," you nod, drawing you knife, and readying a spell as you prepare to guard Zelenka as he works on disabling the force shield.  
  
"What happened to the power?" Woolsey asks as you arrive at the generator. "Why did everything shut down?"  
  
"Who knows?" You answer as Zelenka ignores the question. "If I had to guess, Freeman's team just did something to stop Alex Vance and didn't have a choice otherwise."  
  


* * *

  
  
"Chloe? Chloe?? Come on, stay with me!" Boldir slapped her co-worker's cheeks as she dazed, groaned back to consciousness. "Where does it hurt?"  
  
"Everywhere?" Chloe answered. "Except for my arms. Ow."  
  
Boldir winced. "Let's get you to the infirmary."  
  


* * *

  
  
Hiding behind a pillar, Gordon retrieved an [orange Engine Cell with the same stylized 6 on it](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/powerrangers/images/4/46/Soul-engine06.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20081102044158), and slid it into the slot in the Nitro Blaster he'd gained at his side when he Morphed. "You know it doesn't have to end this way, Alex!"  
  
"It does, Gordon! That's how He needs it to happen! So you don't go doing shit like this and messing our plans up!" Alex yelled back, hiding behind the dormant computer terminal she'd been hacking into earlier.  
  
"Just can we stop trying to kill eachother and Talk things out for once!?" Gordon asks.  
  
 _"When has that EVER worked?"_ Alex counters. "Nobody ever listens when its time to talk! That's just how the universe works!"  
  
"I call bullshit on that!" Gordon shakes his head. "Look, the way I see it, if we both don't stand down right the fuck now, the only way this ends is with one of us DEAD, Alex, and I don't want that to happen. _You're Eli's kid! He wouldn't want us fighting like this!"_  
  
 _ **"My DAD is DEAD!** You don't get to decide what he does or doesn't want!"_ Alex snarled. **"Not after the Borealis!"**  
  
 _"He wanted that thing GONE and it's GONE! What else is there to say!?"_ Gordon asked, tilting his helmeted head out slightly around the corner to gaze out at the console. "The G-Man doesn't have anyone's best interests at heart, Alex. **He _CAUSED_ Black Mesa.** **He _BROUGHT_ the Combine to our doorstep! H _e FUCKING SET ELI UP TO DIE!!_ Don't tell me you're working with him out of the goodness of your heart!"**  
  
"What are you even arguing for, Gordon?" Alex asks. "The preservation of this Dimension? _This Timeline!? Did you just **GIVE UP on everyone back home!?"**_  
  
 _ **"I didn't have a CHOICE!"** _Gordon yelled _. **"You BOTH decided to LEAVE ME TO DIE on the Borealis! That was on YOU! I** f Colonel Claire's team hadn't been there, the only way I'd have ever gotten out of that would've been Vortigaunt, and there's **NO TELLING where or when I'd have wound up after!** For all I know I could have been dumped hundreds of years in the future with the same fight going on but none of the people I knew!"_  
  
 _"Atleast you wouldn't have left our world to DIE!"_ Alex yells.  
  
 **"And what about YOU!?"** Gordon continues to yell "You're here shooting at me and trying to KILL ME, and before that, _hacking into Atlantis' Database!? What the fuck, Alex!?_ What ever happened to saving people, hunting monsters- _ **the Family Business!?"**_  
  
 _"What is that even supposed to mean!?"_ Alex yelled as well, confusion evident on her face were she daring to look. "I've gone back! Can you even say that?"  
  
 _ **"YOU NEVER GAVE ME A CHOICE!"**_ Gordon repeats and reaffirms. "Christ, Alex! What the fuck do you not understand about this situation!? You and the G-Man and everyone back at Black Mesa keep thinking of me as some weapon or tool to be used to fight your battles for you!! **But _I'M NOT SOME CIA TOOL! I'M NOT SOME FBI STOOGE! I'M NOBODY'S PAWN!! I'M MY OWN GODDAMNED PERSON AND IS IT WRONG OF ME TO MAKE A DECISION FOR ONCE IN THE LAST CHAOTIC WHIRLWIND OF TWENTY LONG YEARS COMPRESSED INTO A SINGLE, SOLITARY, NOT EVEN A * YEAR* OF MY LIFE!?"_**  
  
Alex is silent in response to that.  
  
Gordon huffed. "Look. Alex. You want me to say I'm Sorry I Abandoned you? You're not going to _GET_ that. I'm not crawling back to you bastards who keep using me and telling me what to do on the slimmest sliver of information JUST so that I can do things you couldn't apparently do on your own! **I KNOW** an Abusive situation when I see one and what the fuck do you think that was!? God! It took me coming here! And having people _**ASK ME WHAT I WANTED TO DO.**_ To give me a chance to make my own decisions! To get away from people who want to use me as some fucking weapon! And I'm **TELLING YOU.** _IT WORKS!_ There's another way than what the G-Man wants! You don't have to play to some fucking Script he's written word for word! This is the most FREE I've ever been since I came to this world, and if you think I'm just going to roll over and die because you tell me to!? You've got a whole other thing coming and _**I am NOT YOUR DOG TO DRAW AND DISCARD!!!"**_  
  
He twisted the Nitro Blaster into its Rod Mode.  
  


* * *

  
  
The forceshield colapsed, and the Gateroom was quickly evacuated of non combatants- though Akita hesitated at the edge of the hallway leading away from the Gateroom as Cridea and Joey Lalonde fought each other in what seemed to be a stalemate situation.  
  
She narrowed her eyes, and waited for a moment to intervene, despite Zelenka tapping her on the shoulder and insisting that she follow them away from the fight.  
  
She waved him off.  
  
She knew, she couldn't leave this fight.  
  
"Why are you doing this!?" Cridea asks, sword and baton clashing with sparks everywhere.  
  
 _"Why!? WHY!? IT SHOULD BE OBVIOUS IF YOU WERE WHO YOU ACTuALLY LOOKED LIKE!"_ Joey Lalonde yelled out- breaking off and hopping back a few steps towards the steps.  
  
"That doesn't make any sense!" Cridea starts backing off as well, moving closer to the Stargate.  
  
The Wind blows rain in through the window, the floor squeaks under foot as Cridea adjusts her stance- the rain steams against the laser sword.   
  
Your ears hear feet running across tiles behind you-  
  
 _ **"LALONDE!"**_  
  
The runner rushes past you- a laser sword igniting as they pass- before skidding to a stop, and transforming this two way brawl into a three way...  
  
Colonel Joey Claire has entered the battle.  
  
You glance into the hallway behind you and see Ronon Dex running up with Aradia and Kanaya following him. You see Gray and Mordred too...  
  
 _Shit._  
  
You throw yourself into the Gate Room, drawing out a combat knife.  
  
Four Way Brawl LET'S GO!  
  
"YOU!" Joey Lalonde yelled, pointing her baton at Claire.  
  
"Me," Joey Claire narrowed her eyes. 

"Well! Now this makes things easy," Lalonde's eyes narrowed in turn, a sinister smirk growing on her face. "I'll kill you here today, Claire."  
  
"I sincerely doubt that!" Claire countered.  
  


* * *

[ **> [S] Let's Just Live** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCBupigm7tU)

Gordon and Alex took their final steeling breaths, and then leaped out of their cover and began to take aim across the distances separating them.  
  
Alex opened fire with her pulse rifle's primary fire- sending bullets bouncing across the entire room. Gordon dodged and swung his sword-mode gun, bashing a few bullets aside.  
  
The trajectory of some of those bullets bounced back in Alex's direction- forcing her to duck under them.  
  
Alex stared for a moment, and Gordon stared at her just the same.  
  
 _ **[It used to feel like a fairy tale, Now it seems we were just pre~ten~ding.]**_  
  
He began, "We don't-"   
  
She cut him off by firing at him, and doddging down a nearby doorway.  
  
 ** _[We'd fix our world, then on our way to a Ha~ppy Ending,]_**  
  
Gordon took chase after her- _**"ALEX! STOP!"**_  
  
 _ **[Then it turned out life was far less like a Bed~Time Sto~ry.]**_  
  
She fired off another round of bullets- **"DIE, FREEMAN!!"**  
  
 _ **[Then a tragedy with no big reveal of the He~ro's Glo~ry.]**_  
  
Gordon dodge rolled forwards through the swarm of bullets. _"PLEASE! STOP THIS!"_ He yells out.  
  
 ** _"NO!!!"_** She fires off another storm of bullets-   
  
**_[And it seems we weren't prepared,]_**  
  
-Which Gordon slash reflects again. None of them fly her way through sheer luck.  
  
 ** _[For a game that wasn't fair.]_**  
  
Alex continues to run and fire down the hall, and Gordon gives chase, reflecting another wave of bullets with another wave of his weapon.  
  
 _ **[Do we just go home? Can we follow through?]**_  
  
Alex dodges the bullets and rounds a corner -only to find it a dead end of a hallway with a locked door.  
  
 ** _[When all hope is gone, There is one thing we can do!]_**  
  
Alex slams her hand on the console for the door- to no avail, due to a lack of power.  
  
She takes a breath, steeling herself-  
  
 **[Let's Just Live!]**  
  
And then Alex whirls about face as Gordon rounds the corner, and hits the trigger for the Secondary Fire.  
  
 ** _[Day by day, and not be conquered by our sorrows]_**  
  
The golden orb of doom launches out at speed and Gordon instinctively bats it aside.  
  
 _ **[The past can't hold us down, we must break free!]**_  
  
Both of their eyes widen as the orb smashes against a wall and changes direction straight towards Alex herself.  
  
 ** _[Inside we're torn apart, but time will mend our hearts.]_**  
  
The orb flies, and collides with Alex before either of them can react further. Tears flow from her eyes for but a few seconds-  
  
 _ **[Move onward; not there yet, So Let's Just Live!]**_

The Camera jolts away from the scene as ashes hit the floor, diving across the city rapid fire towards the Gate Room.  
  


* * *

  
  
 _ **[Can we get back to a happy place? We've suffered so much Pa~in and Sor~row.]**_  
  
The fight was incidental to Joey Lalonde- she went through the motions while trying to get her Bracelet to work.  
  
 ** _[After Yesterday is there any way we can trust~ To~Mor~row?]_**  
  
She blocked strike after strike with surgical precision as she snarled into the Bracelet, trying to get its powers to activate.  
  
 _ **[Will we go through life, filled with strife like it's to~rn and Tat~tered?]**_  
  
Stubbornly, though- She kicked out and sent Akita tumbling away for a moment- the Bracelet had begun refusing to react the moment since she'd landed in Atlantis.  
  
Worse?? It seemed to be fighting against her!! And its refusal to work to her whim was increasingly more and more FRUSTRATING!!!   
  
**_[Can we keep this up when we know that every ho~pe has Shat~tered?]_**  
  
She hopped back and glared at it, shaking her arm for emphasis. "WORK!! DAMN YOU!"  
  
 _ **[And the lesson isn't new.]**_  
  
The G-Man had to have betrayed her and given her a faulty Bracelet.  
  
 _ **[That some dreams just can't come true.]**_  
  
That was the only thing that made sense!!!  
  
 ** _[When it finally falls, And the Battle's through,]_**  
  
Claire and Cridea threw themselves forwards with a double scisor strike that aimed to cut her arm off and remove her of the Bracelet.  
  
 _ **[When our Faith is gone, And there's nothing left to lose!]**_  
  
"NO!!" She yelled and threw her electric baton up to block both strikes cold.  
  
Sparks flew through the air, and all three locked eyes- then Claire and Cridea broke off suddenly. Lalonde saw the reflection in a puddle on the floor as to why-  
  
 **[Let's Just Live!]**  
  
Akita was rushing in with a strike to behind-   
  
_**[Day by day, and not be conquered by our sorrows]**_  
  
Lalonde dodged, letting Akita sail over head and tumble across the floor, sliding to a halt somewhere between there and the Gate.  
  
 ** _[The past can't hold us down, we must break free!]_**  
  
"THIS ENDS NOW!" Lalonde roared as Cridea leaped at her.  
  
 _ **[Inside we're torn apart, but time will mend our hearts.]**_  
  
Lalonde stomped her foot- and the Bracelet reacted for but a moment- triggering a strength induced shockwave through the air that sent everyone flying--  
  
 ** _[Move onward; not there yet, So Let's Just Live!]_**  
  
With Akita crashing against the stargate and Cridea flinging through and past it, over the edge of the broken window.  
  
 **[When it feels like there's nothing worth Living for...]**  
  
Time slowed as Claire rushed for the edge and found Cridea barely hanging onto the side of the tower.  
  
 **[Everything is broken, the light's not there anymore...]**  
  
Akita recovered, and stood to guard as Claire reached her arm down for Cridea to reach up for and grab.  
  
 **[And the sto~ry, takes an unexpected turn.]**  
  
Lalonde stared on at them for a moment, watching as she processed just what had happened.  
  
 **[A friend is suddenly gone...]**  
  
She looked across the way, and saw Kanaya watching the others with horror etched on her face... and Aradia glaring at Lalonde with murderous intent.  
  
 **[We can cry our lives away.]**  
  
So that was how it was to be, was it? Lalonde's hands clenched tight.  
  
 **[But if they were here they'd say...]**  
  
Was she to die here tonight, a pawn sacrificed by that man?? Lalonde grit her teeth, as Claire pulled Cridea up off the edge of the tower.  
  
 _ **['Go Forward, you must keep moving on.']**_  
  
That was how it seemed to be, wasn't it? She was destined to die.  
  
 ** _[Ooooo Oooo OOoooo.... OOOoohhh...]_**  
  
"No." Joey Lalonde declared. _"I refuse to let this be my Fate!"_  
  
 **"AKITA!"** Claire tossed two silver cylinders through the air- which the girl in question caught.  
  
Blue and Green blades ignited, and the Cu Sidhe took to a ready stance.  
  
Joey Lalonde roared- glaring at the Werewolf girl standing in her way.  
  
Akita narrowed her eyes in determination.  
  
 _ **[Aaaaaaaaaa..... Aaaaaaaaaa.....Aaaaaaaaaa.....]**_  
  
They leaped across the Gate Room at eachother in what felt like slow motion.  
  
Akita swung outwards with the left blade- Blue.  
  
Lalonde threw her baton to intercept, and ordered the Bracelet to fire off a Hyper Beam as she thrust her left fist forwards.  
  
The blue blade of plasma caught on the shock-baton and sparks flew through the air.  
  
Lalonde's left fist continued forewards, even as The Bracelet failed to react.  
  
Too Late, Lalonde's eyes widened as the Right Hand Green Blade came around in an unexpected direction she should have predicted.  
  
She tried to pull her arm back- to stop from losing the key to her power and life that she'd fought so hard to reclaim--!  
  
And then there was pain as the blade cut through her arm.  
  
The left hand and the Bracelet tumbled upwards into the air as her arm pulled backwards along with the rest of her, caught up in a sudden tumble at the finish line.  
  
 **[Let's Just Live!]**  
  
Lalonde hit the floor hard.  
  
 _ **[Just one Day, let's forget about our Problems!]**_  
  
She watched as her hand and Bracelet hit the floor and slid far and away from her.  
  
 ** _[Let's fall in love with life and just be Free!]_**  
  
Two blades of energy were pointed at her neck, threatening death if she made the wrong move. Akita had her eyes narrowed with the determination of killing in self defence.  
  
 _ **[The Sun will Never Fade; The Night won't seal our day!]**_  
  
Lalonde met eyes with Claire and saw that the other her giving her a look that begged, pleaded her to not do anything else reckless or foolish.  
  
 _ **[Let's Dance, and Laugh, and Love, and Let's Just Live!]**_  
  
And Joey Lalonde felt a surge of rage in her chest....  
  
But she let go of her baton and laid down on the floor, all energy exhausted.  
  


* * *

  
  
Power came back on across the city of Atlantis as fast as Zelenka could throw the tripped fuses in the power room again.  
  
It didn't take long for a security team to be dispatched to Gordon Freeman's last known location.   
  
Heading that team was you, Ronon Dex, and it wasn't long of a search before you found Freeman kneeling next to a pile of ash next to a locked door. He was wearing an orange RPM Ranger Operator Suit, sans helmet at the moment.  
  
Said helmet lay in pieces on the floor near a sharp looking corner of the hallway, clearly thrown in anger to be destroyed.  
  
"Gordon?" You ask. "You okay?"  
  
"No," he answered, quietly, tiredly. "I'm not."  
  
"Is that...?" You ask, gazing at the ash pile.  
  
"Alex used the secondary fire of a AR2 Pulse Rifle," Gordon states clinically. "It's a death orb of plasma that vaporizes anything up to human sized targets. I deflected it automatically. I thought it was just more bullets. It hit a wall and bounced at her. I couldn't stop it."  
  
You grimace in sympathy. "Yeah. Sometimes it happens."  
  
"...Yeah." Gordon swallowed. "I know."  
  


* * *

  
  
 **EARTH DATE: DECEMBER 24TH, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 07/05/0007.**  
  
The tarp plastered against the window behind the Stargate rattles in the breeze, as daylight pours in around it. Down below, you see some workers cleaning up the pools of rain water that had made it into the Gate Room.  
  
Your name is Joey Claire, and you grip your hands tight on the railing of the short bridge connecting the Admin office to the Control Room.  
  
"Welcome back, Miss Seawav," Banks says, and you glance away in time to see Cridea finish ascending the stairs into the control room.  
  
"Yeah, thanks," she nods, raising her left hand up to scratch at the top of her head.  
  
The Bracelet gleams from its properly restored place there.  
  
Cridea heads over to join you on the bridge, and leans against the railing with a sigh. "God. Damn. What a fucking nightmare."  
  
"How'd it go?" You ask.  
  
"Healing's as done as I could do it," she answers. "Kanaya's tending to Chloe now, but... your alt you's gonna need a full replacement of her hand. That thing refused to re-attach or regrow."  
  
"Ow," you wince. Akita's going to hate hearing that.   
  
"This Bracelet is a piece of shit," Cridea shakes her head. "It just barely was working better for me than it did you or Alt-You down in the brig. I think you're right and the damned thing has the Metaphysical equivalent of a Bad Battery. Just doesn't have the juice or oomph to do anything right."  
  
"So she got a Lemon of a Noble Phantasm," you laugh, bitterly. "Fucking G-Man."  
  
"Yeah, it's pretty damned clear he set her up to fail," Cridea shakes her head. "Poor Vance, though. I couldn't do anything. Too late to grab her soul with Reaper, and with the power in it nearly dead, reconstituting her body's impossible too."  
  
"Yeeeah." You wince. "There's Stargate Vaporization, and then there's Insta Ball of Death Vaporization. Atleast the Stargate's cleaner. No ash."  
  
 _Good Grief._ This is such an awkward topic to discuss.  
  
"You know, I was afraid she'd come back and bite us at some point," you admit. "But... Damn it, I wasn't expecting this!" You motion at the busted window.  
  
"It sucks," Cridea nods. "Really, really does."  
  
There's a long pause.  
  
"So..." Cridea begins. "You gonna talk to her?"  
  
"I'll let Aradia finish tearing a strip out of her hide first," you answer. "She called dibs."  
  
"Ah," Cridea winces. "And Kanaya?"  
  
"She didn't say anything in the infirmary?" You ask.  
  
"Not my place to ask there," Cridea shrugged.  
  
"...Yeah, fair. She said she's planning on heading back to Earth later this afternoon," you answer. "Didn't plan on staying to chat. Christmas and all that."  
  
"Some holiday, after all that shit," Cridea shakes her head.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Aradia Megido, and this confrontation has been a LONG time coming.  
  
"Hello, Aradia," Joey Lalonde says, gazing at you from the other side of the holding cell's forcefield.   
  
_"Hello, Mother Dearest,"_ you counter.   
  
She winces. "You know that wasn't-"  
  
"Stop," you interject. "Listen. I only have a few things to say and then I'm gone. Got it?"  
  
She nods. "Alright."  
  
"I was willing to forgive a LOT of your past behavior under the umbrella of keeping me and Kanaya safe from the people chasing us across dimensions because of that Bracelet. But you... you were-" Your hands flex and clench. "You were choking us, though. We were choking and dying and it felt like every day was killing us just going through what we were. We didn't have a place to stay. We were always on the move. And more than anything, more than any ONE Alternia's horrid way of life, we got put through hundreds of them!"  
  
"I-"  
  
"I'm not finished!" you stomp your foot. "You could have destroyed that Bracelet at ANY time and we could have settled down somewhere!" You continue on. "We could have settled down and had a life where we weren't being tracked and hunted! But you didn't do that even when-!" You shake your head. "You just doubled down and grew obsessed with that damned Bracelet! I get it! Power seduces! But My GOD! Do you even realize how that was hurting us!?"  
  
She doesn't answer.  
  
"And then when you had the thing taken away, what do you do!?" you ask, rhetorically. "You go and spend WHO knows how many years of your life going to steal someone else's Bracelet, only to wind up with a copy that doesn't even WORK for you! And you- what did you even want from me and Kanaya!? I don't understand!"  
  
"...I just wanted my family back," she finally said.  
  
"Well, congratulations, you went about it in exactly all the wrong ways," you shake your head, and turn to leave.  
  
As you head out through the hallways, you pass by Joey Claire, who gives you a supportive smile, before heading in to confront this alternate reflection of herself.  
  
...You hesitate, and eavesdrop.  
  
"You come to gloat, too?"  
  
"No. I've got just one thing to ask you."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"What was your plan exactly? To kill me for revenge?"  
  
"...Basically. Yeah."  
  
"If you succeeded, you'd have made my daughter a semi-orphan."  
  
"..."  
  
"Yeah, let that sink in. Be glad I don't like to see other me's die, or else this would be a very different conversation." Then, Joey Claire exits the holding room, puts an arm around your shoulder, and says, "Let's go."  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Akita Red, and you look up from your breakfast in surprise as Cridea places the Bracelet on the table infront of you.  
  
"What's this?" You ask.  
  
"Thing's yours," Cridea says. "Joey can't use it. I can't use it. Thing's acting like dead weight, so... Yeah. By rite of Alternian Succession law, 'If you disarm the bitch wearing the Bracelet, you get to keep it.' That's exactly what it says down to every dotted T and crossed I."  
  
You squint at her for a moment, then say, "I'm pretty sure that's less a law and more a series of unfortunate coincidences."  
  
"Yeah, sure, maybe, but either way," Cridea shrugs. "You cut it, you bought it."  
  
And with that, she leaves the table to get in the food line. You gaze at the Bracelet for a moment, then pick it up and hold it in your hands.  
  
The gemstones feel warm to the touch, and the stone brace itself a comforting chill...  
  
You might as well wear it for a while just to see if its your style, you guess.  
  
You split it open, fit it over your right wrist, and snap the stone shut.  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
Predictably, this thing is a lifeless weight upon your wrist and doesn't do shit.  
  
Still, atleast it looks pretty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: INTERMISSION: Failings of a Government Man.  
> \---  
> As I said a few chapter commentaries back, this was a LOT heavier of an emotional episode than I'd intended it to be. 
> 
> I honestly don't got much left to say except that the music sequence there took forever to find a song that fit the mood of the sequence itself, along with everything else that went on here. Took me about a good two to three hours to find something that fit. In the end I ended up going with RWBY Opening 4. 
> 
> In the end, I leaned into the lyrical and tonal dissonance of the whole sequence. For a moment, it was Almost a rock version of A Cruel Angel's Thesis. >_>; But the lyrics just didn't click for me with the sequence. 
> 
> And so here we are. Alex Vance dead because she fired a instant death projectile at someone who just spent the last minute *deflecting bullets,* some of which bounced back AT HER already. As anyone who's played Half Life 2 can contest to, sometimes those plasma orbs *do bounce back and hit you* if you're not careful. I'm sure I was inordinately unlucky, but I've had that happen to me far too many times. Enough to make me wary of EVER using that pulse rifle in tight quarters, either alone or with allies around. 
> 
> Anyone who's played the first Portal can also attest to the deadly potential of those plasma orbs. One wrong ricochet and... Poof.
> 
> Let's be real here, the moment Gordon Freeman became a recurring character someone was going to be vaporized by one of those Pulse Rifles. We just didn't know who until now.
> 
> \---
> 
> Speaking of the inevitable...
> 
> Akita gets the broken Bracelet. The artwork bug is itching at me. You might get a glimpse at Akita with bracelet sometime next week or later if I can't resist the urge to scratch at it. 
> 
> Freeman also became an RPM Power Ranger for a day. The artwork bug is also itching here too. We'll see if I can resist. Gina was meant to eventually don a Ranger Suit in, like, a one off minisode, but Freeman superseded that on account of his association with the color ORANGE with some actual fucking narrative relevance.
> 
> \---
> 
> Up next, after the following intermission to glimpse at what the G-man is thinking in response to all of this, you'll get 3 fluff chapters straight in a row!! ...And then right back into the dive of serious content. Hoo. Boy. Atlantis Season 5 just Doesn't Let Up! I may have to splice in more quick fluff minisodes between them for breather. So if anyone still has some requested fluff scenes that didn't get covered in the following few episodes, please leave a request in the comments.
> 
> I get the feeling we're going to need the sugar injected directly into the story to make up for the Drama Drama Drama.


	18. INTERMISSION: Failings of a Government Man.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The G-Man reflects.

The G-man stood silently in a black void as he processed everything that had just transpired.  
  
Freeman had killed Vance.  
  
Lalonde was in custody.  
  
He was nowhere near closer to retrieving the Attero Control Device from Atlantis for the aliens he'd sold the Soveregin Slayer to.  
  
His pawns had been taken off the board.  
  
How?  
  
 _HOW?_  
  
How could they out maneuver him like this? They weren't Vortigaunts!!  
  


  
Wings flapped in the darkness, and he willingly failed to hear them.

  
Defeating these blind fools should have been easy. They should have been predictable in their responses.  
  
Why weren't They!?  
  
Why was plan after plan being foiled?  
  
The Hunting Grounds had been raided and the quantum tunneling device he'd had Alex Vance repair had been destroyed.  
  
He wasn't even sure HOW they had gotten their hands on Rule Breaker, just that they had.  
  
Medea had seemed oddly accepting of her own knockback, mulling in the background and preparing her own plots. He dared not approach her, however. Not after she murdered Ozma as she did.  
  
The chances of her killing him were...too high to consider.  
  
The Combine were afraid of this Dimension for some reason. It made all the sense in the world to take it as a staging ground to breed army upon army to throw against them. They wouldn't come here.  
  
...But, the G-man paused to consider, they'd never been shy about taking over a dimension before.   
  
It had to be the Borealis Incident. How that sun had gone Super Nova was a mystery to him still, but across parallel dimensions at once? It had to have shaken the remaining Combine forces to their core to not have them come here.  
  
But hadn't it just been an extension of the Borealis Plan? To crash a dimension ship into their home world?  
  
...It didn't make sense. Why were they afraid of this dimension entirely? What was so SPECIAL about this dimension that it made the Combine fear to tread here? What was so SPECIAL about this dimension that it made his plans fail time and time again??  
  
It didn't make sense.  
  
It didn't make sense!  
  
It didn't make SENSE.  
  
How could his plans be failing??  
  
These people were not Vortigaunts! They had not the powers capable of interfering with his own!  
  


Claws clacked against stone, a curious chirp echoed through the air.   
  
Intentionally, the G-Man did ignore them.

It didn't make sense. It didn't Make Sense. It Did Not Make Sense!!  
  
HOW??  
  
HOW could his plans FAIL like this??  
  
By ALL calculations, Freeman had given up his ability to affect the world. He had not taken charge and gone forth to wreak havok as he was predicted to do. He should have died to Vance's weapon, not the other way around!  
  
And Lalonde... a pawn she may have been gathered just to be sacrificed were she to have failed, but she had been a powerful foe regardless. A PRIME candidate for recruitment should she succeed in her Interview Mission.  
  
She was being Interrogated now. Being asked to talk about plans he had lied to her about.  
  
She claimed now that she didn't trust a word that ahd been said to her. That he'd betrayed her with the bracelet.  
  
He had done no such thing. He HAD Given her a WORKING BRACELET with ALL THE POWERS of the original. There was a TEMPLATE in the Unending! It should have worked for her just fine!  
  
Why? Why had its power reserves dropped so sharply? Why had it started DYING on her??  
  
Why had it FAILED when he had not intended THAT SPECIFIC ITEM to fail at all??  
  
It made no sense.  
  
It Made No Sense.  
  
IT MADE NO SENSE.  
  
This was impossible.  
  
His plans should not be failing.  
  
THEY WERE NOT VORTIGAUNTS! THEY DID NOT HAVE THE POWER TO AFFECT HIM SO THOROUGHLY!  
  
HOW WERE THEY DOING THIS!?  
  


How indeed, sarcastically thought the owner of a pair of steely, almost glowing blue eyes as they watched him from above.

The G-Man stood quietly in the black void of the unknowable, and he stood motionless, silently. 

His eyes gazed ahead without target, and yet his mind was a whirlwind of motion.

He had to try something different.

He had to come at this situation from another direction- another time perhaps?

He opened a portal to retrieve Lalonde- and nearly found himself stabbed clean through the stomach by a flying sword before he shut it closed before the sword had a chance to pass through it.

The G-Man stood, quietly, as he processed those events.

He opened another portal to retrieve Lalonde, and nearly found himself incinerated by a stray beam of pure HOPE ENERGY.

The portal was snapped closed before it could pass through his space time.

The G-Man straightened his tie out, and scowled.

"Ssso..." he spoke to himself. "Iss that... how we want to- Play it?"

[A Bahro's song melodiously played out through the expanse.](https://youtu.be/qm_RR_0sFb0?t=23)   
  
The G-Man ignored the teasing for he had long ago willed himself to not hear it.

He opened a portal one last time to retrieve Lalonde, and nearly found himself dragged into the gravitational pull of a Black hole as a Stargate flared to life in front of him and began to expunge a massive burst of solar energy directly at him.

The portal was sealed shut, and the G-Man snarled.  
  
"Fine. We ssshall... Play that Game, then."  
  
So... it seemed that there was one on the level of a Vortigaunt on the playing field, messing with his plans.

He would have to find and end them before he could continue.

A Bahro's chirping laughter cried out through the expanse.

"Good luck," its laughter wished. "Good Luck trying to find what you willingly ignore."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: ALT:10x11: A World for Us All. (Fluff Part 1)  
> \---  
> Trying a different sort of style on this one today. The G-Man really should have realized there are native reality warpers to this dimension a lot sooner... But, he's dismissed them as still being slaves to the Tablet, as he's somehow missed the glowing golden glow of the Tablet being shattered.


	19. ALT:10x11: A World for Us All. (Fluff Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FLUFF! YOU GET FLUFF! YOU GET FLUFF! EVERYONE GETS FLUFF!!!!!!!!  
> #NotSponsoredByOprah

**EARTH DATE: DECEMBER 24TH, 2003.  
**   
**DIASPORA DATE: 07/05/0007.**

[**_"DI~GI~MON!"_**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozwP5fknWn8) The TV blared out in the early hours of the afternoon in the Egbert Household.  
  
You are now Rose Lalonde, and through the hallway connecting the kitchen to the TV room, you can hear your alt-self's age-contemporary companions start singing along to the show's opening theme with nothing less than pure unadulterated glee.  
  
Still, you can't help but pause in the dough kneading and glance at your watch.  
  
Kanaya and Aradia went with Joey back to Atlantis last night because something had happened requiring their presence in the City. You can only assume it was a Medical Emergency that might result in someone dying, requiring Kanaya and Aradia, but...  
  
Why Aunt Joey?  
  
"Hey, don't worry, I'm sure it'll be fine," John places a hand on your shoulder and smiles. "Mordred and Gray went with them. If they thought they needed us, they would've called for us by now."  
  
"I know, I just..." You shake your head. "I'm worried, is all."  
  
Then the door bell rings and you teleport woosh over to it before John can say anything.  
  
Kanaya and Aradia are back, aunt Joey's with them and-   
  
The look on your wife's face tells you all you need to know. You hug her tight. She hugs you back.  
  


* * *

  
  
**O) <-Stargate Alternia->(O**   
  


* * *

  
  
"So... they came for a golden Brick?" You are Mordred Pendragon, and you gaze at a mosaic of bricks along the floor of a certain hallway in Atlantis.  
  
"They did," Artoria Gray sighs. "Atleast it didn't get put on the outside of some building."  
  
"Hey, now, that's actually not a bad idea," you say. "Or, atleast. Something similar to that."  
  
"Really? How's that?" Gray asks.  
  
"Well, let's say we put Rule Breaker on the outside of the City somewhere," you begin. "But the only way for someone to get to it is to first pull a brick loose from THIS floor, and then climb on the outside of the city to get to the newly revealed hiding place! Except--!"  
  
"Rule Breaker was still in the brick that got pulled to begin with-" Gray's eyes widen. "Or! OR! One of the Bricks just adjacent to it!"  
  
"Yes! Exactly!" You nod. "And the best part is we don't even have to put any new or wireless mechanisms in! The decoy Rule Breaker is just always unlocked to access!"  
  
"I can still sense Rule Breaker is where it's supposed to be here," Gray smirks. "Let's go and make a fake Rule Breaker with the 3D printer in Zelenka's lab!"  
  
"Let's!" You grin. "So where do we put the fake anyways?"  
  
"Oh, that's easy, there's some rooftop access near the Jumper Bay via a stair well. If we put it out and sort of below that, you'd have to be ridiculously crazy to climb out on it! So if we..."

* * *

  
  
A frozen pizza may not have been the most glamorous of foods to be had on a date, but on a space ship traveling through hyperspace, in a galaxy so far away from the freshest source of Pizza ingredients? It was the easiest thing to toss in an oven and heat up.  
  
If it ever got to that part.  
  
Tegiri sputtered as Polypa threw some shredded mozzarella in his face. "Pft! That's cheating! The cheese is supposed to go on the pizza, not my face!" He grabbed a hand full of tiny pepperonis and threw them at Polypa in turn.  
  
She laughed, "Hahah! But pepperonis go on MY face!?"  
  
"Well," Tegiri just grinned. "Your face has the flames hot enough to cook 'em!"  
  
"Oh! I see how it is!" Polypa grinned in turn, throwing some more cheese at Tegiri.  
  
...They had until the oven preheat went off to get the Pizza ready to go in the oven anyways. They had plenty of time...  
  
Whether or not they'd have any ingredients for the pizza afterwards remained to be seen.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Joey Claire, and you smile as you watch your daughter happily watching Digimon. Of course, Penny was protesting that it wasn't Pokemon, but in a way that made it clear she knew that the show just wasn't on at this hour.  
  
"Is everything okay?" Mierfa quietly asked while pulling up along side you, and giving you a one armed hug around your waist.  
  
"Yeah," you nod. "For now. Old alt self came back for revenge. No big deal, though. She's been... Disarmed."  
  
Mierfa winced. "Literally?"  
  
"Literally," you nod. "We'd've healed her, but the Bracelet she had was a cheap knockoff with a bad battery. Sooo... She's just chilling in Atlantis for now."  
  
"Was anybody hurt?" Mierfa asks.  
  
"Cridea almost got flung off the edge of Atlantis' Central Spire. Chloe had some shock damage to the nerves in her arms," you pause. "The other intruder wound up a pile of dust on the floor. Gordon's a bit shook up from that, but seemed fine, physically, atleast."  
  
"But everyone else is okay?" Mierfa asks.  
  
You nod. "Yeah. City was pretty empty thankfully."  
  
"That's a relief," Mierfa sighs, and then rests her head on your shoulder. The edge of one of her horns's turn angles bumps up against your cheek, and you can't help but giggle a little.  
  
"Yeah, It's a huge relief that nobody else got hurt." For a moment, you can only stare at the TV screen showing some kind of Train-Car race going on.   
  
You move your arm and pull Mierfa into a mirror of the hug she's holding you in.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Konno, Yuuki, and you wait at the door to the apartment that your sister told you she was staying at on the THIRD FLOOR of the Unwritten.  
  
This complex is part of a group of small town emulating the old Imp settlement you and her used to live in as kids. What was its name again? Lanez? Lynes? You can't even remember, really.   
  
This town, though, is called Campton.  
  
Yep. Just Campton.   
  
You can't even blame it on anybody from Corinth or the Aincrad Earth, either. Town got named by a Fae. Named Campton.  
  
And whose nickname was "Camps-a-ton."  
  
Who named the town.   
  
Campton.  
  
But honestly when there's a planet's worth of 100 Floors, names like that just slip through and get made at some point or another.  
  
But Campton? Really? It sounds like a meme reference, except, it's not.  
  
It's just some guy's name. He named a whole town after himself. Simply because he was the first to put in a petition to name the place.  
  
And he chose to name it after himself.  
  
And named it Campton.  
  
You've got nothing against the name, really! But in comparison to City and Town names like Elvendale or Sylvain, or Minas Irtzis, it's just...   
  
It's a pattern breaker is what it is! And pattern breakers annoy you so very much! Also, it feels like a MEME reference, and naming towns after Memes never ends well.  
  
Your sister opens the door to her apartment, thankfully ending that train of thought by derailing it with a sudden crossing of an intersection with another train. This second train of thought being the one carrying the sobering realization that your sister is PREGNANT.  
  
Your brain is stalled out in quite the traffic jam for what you're later told was a solid thirty seconds before Touya manages to snap you out of it with a none-too-subtle percussive elbow to your shoulder.  
  
 _"You're Pregnant!?"_ the first words to your sister in several months are the blatantly obvious.  
  
"Hi, Yuuki," she says, smiling. "And yes, I am."  
  
"Aaah! That's great!" you hug her. "Congratulations!!"  
  
Then.  
  
Wait.  
  
You pull away from your sister just enough to look her dead in the eyes and ask, "Who's the father!? I didn't even know you were dating anyone!"  
  
"It's a long story, let's talk inside?" She offers.  
  
Right. Yeah, Awkward conversation to be having at the front door of an apartment.  
  
You all head inside, sit down at the couches, and you gaze about the apartment as your Sister quickly fetches some plates for snacks from the kitchen.  
  
You recognize a lot of this from your sisters work as "Akatsuki," The Mysterious Assassin Assistant to the Mage Shiroe, who had helped out on your adventures in Alfheim in the years past. But what catches you off guard is seeing a photo of her and Shiroe dressed not in their usual garb, but in rather human attire, with human disguises on, at what looks like a Wedding Chapel in Corinth City. (You can see part of the dome's structural wall towering overhead in the background.)  
  
"You and Shiroe?" You ask, turning to your sister as she returns.  
  
"Yes," She nods. "Shortly after the Unwritten came over Corinth, and the bulk of finishing work began, Shiroe determined it was a good time for us to end the official working relationship we had in favor of... well.." She blushes. "Something much more intimate."  
  
Your sister, Konno, Aiko, fidgits with a small ring on her finger and- Aaaaahhh!!!  
  
You apparently spaced out squealing for a solid minute that time before Touya managed to nudge you lose from it again.   
  


* * *

  
  
"Can you believe it, Touya??" Yuuki asks as you and she drop off your luggage in the guest room. "My sister's going to be a mom! I'm going to be an Aunt!! And it didn't even take them multiple tries, too!"  
  
"It's something, alright," you're Touya, and honestly, you feel the expected mixed bag of emotions that's sure to come from this revelation.  
  
Due to the curse that afflicted Alfheim for so long, the Fae Race's population growth rate dropped sharply to near zero levels. Your culture celebrates new life with the reverence of respect that it deserves. In the old days, a Fae couple could try every day for three years straight before finally succeeding in conceiving a kid.  
  
With Alfheim far behind you, and the Curse "broken" with a firey explosion of doom, it makes sense that the Fae of Alfheim who relocated elsewhere would start seeing a population boom as the after-effects began to fade.  
  
You and your twin sister, Minori, were a very welcome surprise to your parents. Twins were more common among Cait than they were Sylph, and even then with Caits it was a very slim margin of 'more common.' Barely half a percentile 'more common.'  
  
But then there's Yuuki and Akatsuki- Er. Aiko, now, you suppose since she's stopped working as an assassin. So, two sets of twins within your age group is already a statistically rare sort of thing, now that you think of it-  
  
"Hey, Touya?" Yuuki breaks you out of your thoughts.   
  
"Yeah?" You ask.  
  
"...Do you think we should transfer back here from Atlantis?" Yuuki asks.   
  
Thinking about the near disaster that was that diplomacy mission... the run in with Hircine's Hunting grounds...  
  
"I wouldn't be opposed to it," you say.   
  
"Me either," Yuuki hums. "Maybe we should talk with Keiko and Silica and Minori about it?"  
  
"Probably should yeah," you nod.   
  


* * *

  
  
"I can't thank you enough for helping out, Keiko," Shiori says, smiling at you as she whips up a bowl of icing.  
  
"Hey, with the whole Linking Book Setup being a thing, I'm only an inter dimensional email away, Sis," you say as you lift a cake pan out of the oven (bop the door with your foot to raise, hip check it lightly to throw it closed) and then place it down on the stove top. "So any time you need help with something, just let me know, alright?"  
  
"I know, it's just," you see Shiori frown slightly. "I was talking with Mikari the other day."  
  
"Oh?" They've talked? That's... not nearly as surprising as it should be, really. So, You ask, "What about?"  
  
"Well. Mikari was saying how sometimes she misses your insight on things, and..." She pauses. "I just want to clarify here, I'm asking this, not her. Have you thought about coming back here? Full time, I mean? Not just to visit?"

Oh god, not this shit again?  
  
You sigh, closing your eyes for a moment, and you resist the urge to massage at the bridge of your nose. "To be honest? No. I really haven't given it much thought at all. Atlantis... it's my Home. I think at this point the only way I'm ever leaving it permanently is if it gets blown up." You then quickly amend that statement with- "As in, entirely. Completely. Down to every last atom. Because explosions tend to happen around the city at least once a month. Just. Like, regular ones. Tiny ones. Self contained ones."  
  
"Uh huh," Shiori gives you a look that says she doesn't buy it. "And how many of those are done around the kids nursery?"  
  
"Oh, please," you scoff. "The little scientists are all about the baking soda volcanoes. Accounts for like, seventy percent of all the explosions in a given year."

That's actually a lot of explosions now that you think about it. A dizzying amount to think about, even.  
  
"Oh, well, at least they're not potato batteries," Shiori rolls her eyes.  
  
"I know! What was with that?" You ask, referring to that one year when your middle school science fair was like, 99% Potato Batteries.   
  
"I don't even know," Shiori shakes her head.   
  
"But in all seriousness, the super UN-contained explosions tend to only happen when dramatic shit is going down," you explain. "Like, someone turned on a machine in an Ancient lab and got dosed with explosive tumors, or lightning striking the city and blowing a fuse, or- uh-" You cough. "Well, okay, most of the other explosions I can think of were intentionally set off, but still!"  
  
You shall not mention the whole dumping C-4 into the Atlantis Gateroom and blowing up the tower to stop the Replicators thing.  
  
"Well, still... I..." Shiori frowns. "I miss my little sister, y'know? I worry about you with all those explosions, baking soda or otherwise, going off. it's... I feel sometimes like I abandoned you to grow up way too fast after Mom... After Aincrad crashed and..." She trails off.  
  
You resist the urge to sigh.   
  
Instead, you nod. "Yeah. I know."  
  
There's a lot of reasons why you stopped thinking about everything that happened here. And there's a reason people stopped asking you about your adventures back before your Mirror Team made contact with the SGC.   
  
After a while, everyone realized how painful those memories were for you- physically or otherwise.   
  
The long faded scar from the Visorak bite stings slightly with phantom pain, as if to remind you of that fact.  
  
"Aincrad had a lot of painful memories for me," you admit. "Not all of them were bad, but... they were painful."  
  
Shiori looks guilty, and mutters, "I probably added a fair share of that, dragging you along on all those exploration missions just to leave you alone so I could be with Kazuto."  
  
"Yeah, but if you hadn't, chances were we'd all be dead at the bottom of the ocean right now," you shrug. "Sooo.... it all evens out in the end. And if it's any consolation? I don't really blame you much for all the times you two sneaked off to have sex anymore."  
  
Shiori stares at you, slack jawed. _"Keiko!"_ she admonishes, as if shocked you, her little sister, could be so brazen. It's not a surprise, really. Geeze. You're not a kid anymore and haven't been in... uh. Atleast since you went to Atlantis, really. Just 'cause you got stuck looking like you were twelve for a few years doesn't mean you weren't growing up, geeze. (And there's a trauma reminder you desperately don't want to think about either. Back into the box with you!)  
  
"What?" You shrug. "I have a Matesprit and we fuck. There's nothing weird about that. I'm not a kid who's afraid of seeing people be intimate with each other anymore! And I'm definitely not all-" you raise your voice to a higher pitch to try to emulate your past self by several years. _"'Aaah! Holding hands! That's so lewd! Oh My Gosh Keep that in private!'"_ And then you cough because you can't hold that pitch anymore.  
  
Still, it gets the job done and Shiori laughs. "Oh my god- **Keiko!** _Keiko! Oh my god!_ "   
  
"Yes, Yes, this is Keiko speaking," you grin.   
  


* * *

  
"Remind me again why your parents want to meet with me?" Soul Ehvans asked as Maka Albarn worked on straightening his tie before they got out of the car.  
  
"Because my Dad still treats me as his little princess who's not even out of diapers and thinks that just because you and me get high and horny off of an alien plant it suddenly means we're dating and if I DIDN'T-" Maka tightens the Tie and Soul makes a short 'hrk' sound. "-Then he'd harass me all day long about not bringing you and then I might as well have just stayed at Atlantis so! Are we doing this or what?"  
  
"He's not going to kill me, is he?" Soul asks.  
  
"Oh, no, if anything my Dad'll be glad that you're Alternian, and I'm human because that means you can't accidentally get me pregnant, even if we were dating, which he thinks we are even if we aren't." Maka smiles. "My mom is the real wild card if she even came."  
  
"If??" Soul asks as Maka gets out of the car, and he follows. "You mean we came all this way out to Death City, Nevada and there's a chance I'm only meeting ONE of your parents?"  
  
"That all depends on if Mom decided she's humoring dad and Step-Mom or not for tonight," Maka says, taking a breath to prepare herself. "Right. Okay. Let's get in there and just get this over with. Rip the bandage off."  
  
There were many things Soul Ehvans was expecting as Maka rang the doorbell.   
  
He was not expecting for Maka's father to be pants-on-head drunk when he opened the door.  
  
"Maka heree..." He drawl'd out.  
  
"Oh my GOD, Dad! What are you doing drunk this early in the day!?" Maka cried out.  
  
"Momma and Momma are both here and talk-fighting," her father mumbled out.  
  
"Oh, well that explains a lot," Maka sighed. "Good news, Soul. They're BOTH here. Hopefully Chrona took the smart route and stayed at College this year."  
  
 _'Spirit Albarn is certainly a man who keeps to his spirits,'_ Soul thought to himself before bracing for a rough night.  
  
Maka lead the way into the house, leading her drunken father along the way, and Soul did his best to remember what she'd told him on the drive over.  
  
Birth Mom and Dad divorced because Dad was cheating with Step-Mom and had a kid and... and...  
  
Names? What were their names?  
  
Soul ground to a halt as he saw two blonde haired women sitting across from eachother in the living room. One was dressed up to the nines in what could only be described as Archaeology gear- a female Human-not-Troll Indiana Jones if Soul had ever seen one. She also was holding a fucking shotgun. The other woman was wearing a sleeveless black dress and had snake tattoos running down her arms.  
  
Soul remembered finally what the Step-Mom's name was.  
  
Medusa.  
  
"Oh! Maka! Glad you could join us!" Medusa said, smiling brightly. "Please, bring your father in and set him down! I think he's had far too much to drink."  
  
Maka ignored her and turned to her Bio-Mom, "Hi, Mom. How was Cairo?"

The shotgun was pumped threateningly. "Hi, Maka. It was fine. Now what's this I hear about you getting high with an Alien teammate on some Alien Spore Plant and being generally indecent towards the local plantlife?"

 _'Aw, shit, here we go,'_ Soul sighed.

* * *

  
  
Somewhere on Earth, high up in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, nestled amongst the trees, was a small rented cabin.  
  
Sitting high up upon its roof, Silica and Minori sat side by side, shoulder to shoulder, heads resting against eachother, hands held tightly...  
  
And Silica's tail was wrapped comfortingly around Minori's waist.  
  
They sat and stared out over the mountains and the valleys and the forests...  
  
And they took it all in with a newfound appreciation that came from a certain life decision.  
  
That said, the recent acquisition of a pair rings to their fingers was the only thing that spoke to what that life decision even was.  
  
Neither needed to say anything. They just enjoyed being in their own company.  
  
Just wives being wives, chilling on a rooftop because very gay.  
  


* * *

  
  
And speaking of wives...  
  
You're now Kanaya Maryam-Lalonde, and you lie in bed with your wife Rose Lalonde as you think about how crazy your life has been the last few days.  
  
It's crazy.  
  
End of story.  
  
You don't want to think about it further.  
  
Rose nuzzles against you, purring like the cat her current form lets her take elements of. Like the Ears.  
  
The very, VERY fluffy ears that tickle against your jaw in just the right way and...  
  
You're so glad that you were lucky enough to survive and marry Rose. That you're able to have moments like these.  
  
The sun is barely setting, and dinner will be ready shortly for sure...  
  
But for the moment, you and Rose just lie there, content with the warm reassurances of eachother's presence.  
  
Life is good for the moment. You couldn't ask for anything more but this peace and love.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Marsti Houtek, and you sit watching as Okurii teaches Nepeta how to bake cookies with fancy in-laid dough shapes.  
  
It's honestly a process you can't describe even after watching it. You're not quite sure how Okurii's doing it, let alone how Nepeta's picking it up.  
  
Honestly, you'd sooner just buy some pre-made color-shape cookies from a store. It'd be cleaner to say the least.  
  
But, heh. Okurii's job is teaching to cook today. Yours will be to teach Nepeta how to clean it up after.  
  
Still, you seriously have no idea how either of them are doing any of this weird-ass dough shaping without extrusion molds. What kind of Aspect based Magic is this?  
  


* * *

  
  
"Okay. I have to say..." your name is Roxy Lalonde and coming out of the movie theater with your BEST GIRL GREAT DATE CALLIE, you feel the rush of having just finished a long ass movie. "Three Hours for the finale to The Lord Of The Rings? That was AWESOME, but at the same time. MAN. I am HUNGRY!"  
  
But also- that hunger has given you quite the headache. You must rectify this immediately!!  
  
"Heh, yes, well it was certainly an interesting experience," Callie agrees. "But three hours was way too long for a movie. I spotted several points at around the half way mark that could have been better served to split it up further."  
  
"Movies need intermissions!" You pound your right fist into your open left palm like a hammer against gavel. "Movies can be as long as they want but we need intermissions in the middle!"  
  
You both pause at the crosswalk to let traffic blow by, before crossing The Street away from the movie theater into the Mall proper.   
  
Immediately, you're confronted with options of the best place to eat- there's like, a pizza place and a few other snack shops directly on this corner, along with a Chilie's a bit further down the hallway.  
  
What to eat though, and where to eat...  
  
"Oooh! Roxy! Look! A Cinnabon!" Callie points out the corner-side establishment. "I know it's not the most filling meal for dinner after a movie, but-!"  
  
"Heck yeah, I could go for a Cinnamon roll!" You grin.   
  
And thus you get into the short line, get a pair of cinnamon rolls, and then find the nearest open table and chairs, of which there are quite a few around this area.  
  
You eat in the silent bliss that is the loud noises of crowded mall traffic. People running this way and that, doing their last minute shopping. There's a NEON MINIGOLF SHOP just nearby too, and kids are crying out loudly from within.   
  
Callie looks to you. You look to Callie.  
  
"Minigolf when we're done?" She asks.  
  
"Oh! Totally!" You nod.  
  
You do so love it when you two are in synch!  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Caroline Lam, Chief Medical Officer at Stargate Command, and right now you're suffering from what your childhood-era self would have thought was a pipe dream.  
  
Your Dad and Mom are getting along just fine... and are even FLIRTING with each other over dinner.  
  
As your father is also the functionally current head of the SGC (Even if General O'neill still signs your paychecks), this is very awkward. So awkward on so many levels.  
  
Not the least bit because your Christmas Eve Dinner is at a Red Lobster. Not the least bit because your parents are FLIRTING with each other in a way that your childhood-era self would have hoped meant they were getting back together. And not even just because.   
  
Wow.  
  
What child wants to sit at dinner and listen to their parents Flirting with each other??  
  
You're starting to wish you made your excuses to deal with some nonsensical medical emergency.  
  
...You silently dare your pager to go off requesting you to hurry back to the SGC.  
  
But it doesn't.  
  


* * *

  
Your name is Jennifer Keller, and you sit at your laptop closing out some work emails in the last hours of the night before you go to bed...  
  
You've just finished replying to an email from Doctor Beckett when the thought occurs to you that there's one person you haven't heard from or talked to yet...  
  
You start a new document.  
  
 **[TO: DrRdnyMckay@LantisExp.ORG**  
  
 **FROM: drjkeller@LantisExp.ORG**  
  
 **SUBJ: Merry Christmas, Rodney!**  
  
 **Rodney,**  
  
 **Just writing to wish you a Merry Christmas and I hope you have fun with your family!**  
  
 **Make sure to take it easy and rest that big head of yours so]**  
  
Nope Nope Nope. GAH.  
  
Okay. you can do this. Just...   
  
Delete, restart.  
  
 **[Hi, Rodney!**  
  
 **I'm writing to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I'll see you back in Atlantis-]**  
  
 ** _NOOO. NONONONONONO._**  
  
UGH. NO. just No.  
  
 _Fuuuuuuuuh._  
  
 **[Dear Rodney,**  
  
 **I've been doing a lot of thinking about what happened and-]**  
  
 _NNNNGH. NO. COME ON. DON'T._  
  
Except.  
  
YES.  
  
No.   
  
YES.  
  
NO!  
  
YES!!!  
  
 _MAYBE?_  
  
 _NOOOOOO._  
  
 ** _YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!_**  
  
 ** _GAAAAAAAH._**  
  
You're going to be at this for a while.

* * *

  
Apparently when everyone settled on Lopan years ago, nobody had realized there was a once a hundred Alternian Solar Sweep migration of large scorpion monsters that emerged from the desert and rampaged around for a few weeks before returning home.  
  
Well, now that migration had started, and was about to rampage through the major hub of Lopan's civilization settlement.  
  
And thus, a galaxy's wide request had been put out for sharp shooting experts to come in and help scare the scorpions onto a different path of life.  
  
Your name is Kohiru Karren, and under the night sky of Lopan's desert, you sit in idle wait. Beside you, Shino Asada from Corinth, and Miyu Shinohara from the Apollo sit in wait as well.  
  
Together, you are Group 7 of 9. What a lackluster team name, for sure, but it's where you were assigned when you volunteered up for this job.  
  
You didn't even volunteer at the same time, so it's a miracle that you were all grouped together in some regard.  
  
Rhubee is off in Group 4 of 9, apparently the melee group that had formed because a bunch of people had shown up to a guns requested battle with sharp blades and such. She's eagerly chatting with some Fae sword slingers at the moment, so you let her be.  
  
"Soooo..." Shinohara begins. "Do either of you care if I go first on the next wave?"  
  
She's dual wielding Grenade launchers.   
  
Asada gives you a look that says, "I don't care if you don't."  
  
You shrug, "Sure, Shinohara. Go right ahead."  
  
 _"Mi~yu!"_ She corrects. "We've already got Shino Asada here, so that'd get confusing! And we're off duty anyways, so call me Miyu! It's my name!"  
  
"Alright, Miyu," you say, glancing down your pocket telescope at one of the other groups. There's a large group of Earth born and Jaffa Women who look practically Amazonian in build talking with some other rag-tag assembled group about something you can't hear. Apparently they came as a group and got bunched together as a result. SHINC or something like that is their team name.   
  
One of them- a woman you think was named TANYA?- is carrying one huge ass monster of an Anti-Tank rifle.   
  
You've already seen the damage the bullets that thing did to the last wave of Scorpions.   
  
Scorpion? What scorpion? You're quite sure there never was any scorpion, just some free floating pincer arms and a tail flying through the air.   
  
Admittedly, you're not too jealous. You know the Ruby Lancer's Beam Rifle could do some serious damage on that scale too if you were able to use it here. Still...  
  
You'd hate to go up against that thing in an actual fight.  
  
One of the men in the ragtag group talking with SHINC seems to be having the same thoughts, eyeing the thing nervously from where he's cowering behind a massive wall of metal plate shields. Likely considering how easily those rounds would destroy his snipers setup and counting his blessings they're on the same team- sort of.  
  
At his side is a tall woman in a skin tight black leather body suit, with weird red tatoos on her cheeks- you'd almost think she was Fae with those specific markings, but no, her ears are round. Her skin is heavily tanned- her eyes are pitch black like obsidian, matching the costume she's wearing along with her hair.  
  
The weapons she has equipped on her back look like they're Milky Way origin, but not Earth Origin. She's probably some mercenary or bounty hunter, but you couldn't say which.  
  
"Ah, we've got movement," Asada says suddenly. "Eight O'Clock."  
  
You turn your telescope that way, and sure enough, there's some giant ass scorpions nudging around the mutilated remains of some of their brothers or sisters who didn't get the idea after the previous two waves.  
  
Automatically, some physical coordinates and angle calculations flare up on the telescope's screen.  
  
"Shi _ **-er**_ , Miyu," you begin. "Angle degrees as follow, line up the shot, but don't fire until I say they're moving."  
  
"Gotcha!" Shinoha... Miyu states, moving her grenade launchers into position as you rattle off the degrees and coordinates that your telescope is telling you.  
  
You hear Asada shifting next to you, and you don't need to look to know she's adjusting her aim just as much as Miyu is based off of your information.  
  
Your minds eye paints a red circle on the ground where you expect Miyu's shot to land...  
  
The Scorpions move out and around to go for the fourth wave.  
  
"Now!" You bark.  
  
Two cute bursts of sound bark out from your left- **_POOM! POOM!_**  
  
You close your eyes, and wait the resulting explosions out before opening them again.  
  
The front scouts of that fourth wave of Scorpions are no more.  
  
They're pining for their makers from the spectral ghostly fjords of whatever afterlife they came from, because there's nothing left of them but a pair of craters.  
  
More Scorpions start rushing out from cover-  
  
Asada's Hecate II barks off a retort, and one of the Scorpions falls flat on its face as all of its right side legs get taken out in one shot.  
  
Others begin leaping over the body, and then the rest of the fighting teams catch on, spewing bullets and other weaponry fire into the air as the Fourth Wave's Zerg Rush begins in earnest.  
  
This isn't how you expected to spend Christmas Break, but honestly? It oddly feels right in its own right. As if you're finally back in your own element. Which is a weird ass thought to have, being a Sea Dweller in the desert.   
  
But, it's the feeling you get.   
  
Maybe some other you out there in the multiverse made a living off of hunting monsters like this? Who could say, really.  
  
You ready your P-90 and attach your telescope to it before taking aim down range and letting lose a barrage of tracer rounds into the fray.  
  
Red lights streak across the field, and the Scorpions never saw it coming.  
  
Do you feel guilty about the wanton slaughter? Not really, considering that the estimated size of this migrating storm of Scorpions is upwards in the hundreds of thousands range, possibly higher. But hey, it is what it is.  
  
You do sort of wish the dumb bugs would get the idea that this path is a kill box and go elsewhere, though.   
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: ALT:10x12 Oath Sign (Fluff Part 2)  
> \---  
> Things to note:  
> Digimon Frontier actually aired its english dub in 2002, much to my astonishment only seeing it in Re-runs in 2004. This reference is in line perfectly with the air dates.  
> \---  
> Mordred and Gray are having some family bonding! Yay!  
> \---  
> Tegiri and Polypa being adorable.  
> \---  
> I'm trying to be fluffy here with these, I swear, but the angst carrying over from the last few chapters just infects everything a little when reflecting on it.
> 
> Joey and Mierfa being adorable!  
> \---  
> Catching up with Yuuki and her Sister!! The Log Horizon crossover that was subtly in the background also pays off a bit of detailing. Yeah, Akatsuki/Shiroe is the OTP ship, and slotting SAO Yuuki's sister Aiko into that role here lends me some basic characterization to work off of. Given, you know, she's kinda dead in canon SAO before we even meet Yuuki? 
> 
> In an ideal world, Log Horizon earth is just an SAO Earth where Yuuki and Aiko's mother never got that botched blood transfusion at their birth. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
> 
> (Also, yes, that was a "Straight outta Campton" reference. The Memes Will never stop! The memes will never stop.)  
> \---  
> Here's a reminder of the simple fact that yeah, Keiko's life was NOT sunshine and rainbows and there's a reason I stopped doing flashbacks into that part of her life, and honestly probably won't go back to delving into her backstory any deeper than I already have. It just kept getting grimmer and darker and, yeah. I don't wanna traumatize her more than she has been.  
> \---  
> Payoff for the whole "Soul and Maka got high on an alien plant and probably made out (Or more) in the middle of a forest?" thing. Maka's mother in Soul Eater never got a canon name. So. Uh. She goes nameless here. Her dad remarried with Medusa. And Chrona is Maka's little-half-sibling in this timeline. Maka being a bit older let her get out on her feet first and help get Chrona the hell out of there. It's not as functioning of a household as it really could have been.  
> \---  
> Silica and Minori got married on the Unwritten and are on their honeymoon on Earth in Colorado. They didn't tell anyone, taking inspiration from Rose and Kanaya just DOING IT.  
> \---  
> Speaking of, more Rose and Kanaya. They could use some fluff and focus!  
> \---  
> Hey, it's Marsti! And Okurii and Nepeta doing strange things with cooking. I have no idea how you actually make funny color image sugar cookies by hand, and neither does Marsti, but it's a thing that somebody figured out how to do, I'd expect, or else the factory versions never would've existed. I'd think???  
> \---  
> Cinnabons for the Cinnamon Rolls! Callie and Roxy for your sweet tooth. (Some mild inspiration from the Colorado Mills Mall of that era is taken for set dressing.) Also, I just looked up movies that released for this time of year, and Lord of the Rings seemed to be the best fit for a Callie/Roxy date.  
> \---  
> ...No comment on the Landry Family situation.  
> \---  
> Keller's trying to sort out her feelings! Yay!  
> \---  
> Finally, we get a flat out SAO Alternative: GGO reference again. Out there is Team SHINC, Pitohui, and M, specifically called out. Karren's reference to feeling in her element is because GGO is a huge Desert Wasteland setting, with the guns and shit. This whole sequence was just a fancy way of wrapping up this half of the fluff with some fun action. 
> 
> Also, Obligatory Star Trek Voyager reference with the 7 of 9 thing. Just felt that needed to be said.


	20. ALT:10x12: Oath Sign (Fluff Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinnamon Rolls! You got a cinnabon! YOU get a cinnabon! EVERYONE GETS CINNABONS!!!  
> #NotSponsoredByCinnabonOrOprah

**EARTH DATE: DECEMBER 25TH, 2003.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 07/06/0007.**  
  
Your name is Ruby Branwen, and you awoke with a yawn and a stretch, and then got out of your cot and strolled over to the balcony overlooking the great lake of D'ni's cavern.  
  
It's such a tranquil sight that brings a smile to your face as you open the mind link and begin to share it with your--  
  
_[AAAAAAH! DIE SCORPIOOOOON!]_ Rhubee's voice echoes through your mind, making your hesitate... and instantly close that connection.  
  
Okay, so you'll try to connect to Karren who-  
  
_[Gahhhh! Comeon Come on Come ONNNN!! Just Die already you stupid giant bugs!! Eat my bullets!!!]_  
  
You slam the connection closed again with a wince.  
  
Okay... so... uh...  
  
Maybe you should just try Gray?  
  
You barely open the connection only to realize that Gray is in the middle of a _very warm dream_ about Lloyd that you back away from immediately out of respect to her privacy.  
  
"I'll..." you blink. "Just take a picture and send it the old fashioned way."  
  
You decaptchalogue your KI device, and take a few photographs of the lake as it is.  
  


* * *

  
  
**O) <-Stargate Alternia->(O**

* * *

  
  
You are Rodney Mckay, and you check on your emails during the quick lull of morning activity between breakfast and the build up to opening presents with Jeannie's kids. 

You see a bunch of seasonal greetings from your team, from various other people you work with- you can read them properly later, but--  
  
One name stands out, and so you open the email.  
  
**[TO: DrRdnyMckay@LantisExp.ORG**  
  
**FROM: drjkeller@LantisExp.ORG**  
  
**SUBJ: Merry Christmas, Rodney!**  
  
**Okay, so I'm just going to come right out and say this.**  
  
**I rewrote this thing like, twenty times before coming to this as a simple thing.**  
  
**When you were under the influence of that parasite and were losing your memory, you said something to me, and I'd just like to take this opportunity to say...**  
  
**I'd like it if**  
  
**i'd really like to talk over coffee sometime**  
  
**Can we talk when we get back to Atlantis?**  
  
**Merry Christmas.**  
  
**-Jennifer.]**  
  
....Oh.  
  
You...  
  
You had to have confessed to her during your recent encounter with the Second Childhood parasite.  
  
Oh God. You CONFESSED when you were losing your memories! OH GOD!!  
  
You send a quick reply.  
  
**[TO: drjkeller@LantisExp.ORG**  
  
**FROM: DrRdnyMckay@LantisExp.ORG**  
  
**SUBJ: RE: Merry Christmas, Rodney!**  
  
**Jennifer**  
  
**Yeah. I'd like that. Let's talk and Get coffee? How's... Uh.**  
  
**My office or yours?**  
  
**-Rodney]**  
  
You correct a few quick typos and send it off with a quick exhale of a breath you didn't realize you were holding.  
  
_Oh God This is Really Happening._  
  
Jeannie gives you a wry smile as you close your laptop lid. "Sooo... Get a good email?"  
  
"Yeah," you swallow. "I think so."

* * *

Your name is Mikari Aiikho, and you and Keiko Ayano meet up at a Cafe in a small city somewhere on The Unwritten's First Floor for breakfast.  
  
"I'm glad I got the time off to catch up with you," you smile. "It's been hectic to say the least here."  
  
"I can imagine," Keiko nods. "Shiori was filling me in yesterday while we were making the cake for Sachi's birthday."  
  
"Oh, yeah, that's today, isn't it?" you blink. "Damn it, I need to buy the kid a present. Lucky, being born on Christmas."  
  
"Not that it was technically Christmas at the time back on Aincrad," Keiko muses. "Our calendars didn't match up at all back then."  
  
"And now everyone's using Earth and Diaspora as Standards, crazy, isn't it?" You ask.  
  
"Yeah," Keiko nods.  
  
"So... How's the City been since Woolsey took over?" You ask.  
  
"Baring what happened the other night? Just fine," Keiko answers.  
  
You frown. "What happened the other night?"  
  
"Dunno, exactly, but I was checking my emails and saw a notice got posted that the Gate Room window got smashed open during a storm," Keiko shrugs. "I'm sure they'll tell us all more when we get back from break, and are just trying not to worry us. That, or keep the IOA's noses out of it."  
  
"Ah, right, those bastards," you nod. "Always a good reason to keep them from finding out about trouble when it brews. Alright. Forgetting that for a moment. It's all been running okay, right?"  
  
"Yeah, Woolsey's making his own little changes here and there, but for the most part he's just been delegating things to Argo to deal with," Keiko nods. "It's... weird, having him ostensibly running things, but... Not bad. He's growing to the job. Though, Argo was saying he keeps thinking he's going to get fired."  
  
"That's good," you say. "The growing bit, not the constantly getting fired part."  
  
Your waitress arrives soon, taking your order.  
  
"So..." Keiko begins. "Shiori asked me if I was going to come back to work here."  
  
"Oh no, she didn't!" You groan.   
  
"Let me guess, she brought it up before?" Keiko asks.  
  
"Yes, and I told her it wasn't going to work out with you coming back," You groan. "I'm so sorry."  
  
"It's not your fault," Keiko says. "We had a bit of a laugh over it anyways, once I explained things a bit."  
  
"I still feel responsibility, given the whole command position thing," you explain in turn. "It's-"  
  
"Mikari, lemme stop you right there," Keiko raises her hand to stop you right there. "It's a family thing. You don't have to worry about it from a Command perspective. Alright?"  
  
You... take a very long moment to process that.  
  
Sometimes you miss Jolinar, in moments like these.  
  
"Right. Of course. Sorry. It's... been a very long couple of months...months? God, feels like years, but has it really only been months?" You ask.  
  
Keiko shrugs. "Time is kinda meaningless save for the meaning we give it. I mean, given Time Travel is a thing? Time's basically another way of moving around from point to point."  
  
You blink at her for that statement. "That's... a very odd thing to say."  
  
"Somedays I wake up and I forget my own age," Keiko shrugs. "IF you asked me right now, I couldn't even answer it honestly except in vague terms. I'd have to do the serious math if I wanted anything more accurate than 'somewhere past 18'. Am I 20? Older? 19? Does it even matter? I can't even remember how old Sachi is, and I was there when she was born!" She winces. "God, that sounds bad. I was just decorating her cake last night. I should remember it. Five? Seven? No, I don't know."  
"Keiko, when's the last time you took a serious break from work that wasn't mandated?" You ask.  
  
"Uhh..." Keiko blinks.   
  
And for an entirely too long pause she just stares at you, kind of blankly.  
  
You wait.  
  
Finally, she mutters a single, "Fuck." Then elaborates, "I think it was before Tyzias and Daraya switched to desk duty?"  
  
"Okay, that's..." UH. "How many months ago was that?"  
  
"August or September?"  
  
And it's December now? September, October, November... December almost January...  
  
"...Keiko, how much sleep have you been getting lately?" You ask.  
  
"..." Keiko stares on for a moment more. "I dunno. I've been working on a lot of problems the last few months."  
  
"Like what?" You ask.  
  
"...I mean, there's the Wraith Ship stuff, and the whole shit with the Slayer being used, and exploding stargates... and..." Keiko trails off. "There's not a lot I can do about those, I mean, but... I still try? I... I stay up a lot some nights... trying to work on it. I dunno if I'm even getting anything done."  
  
She slumps back into her chair, looking exhausted and tired as if a mask she'd been putting on the mirror had fallen loose and she realizes for the first time jsut how utterly tired she is.   
  
"Is this what they call burn out?" she asks, blinking tiredly.  
  
"Yeah," You sigh. "Probably."  
  
Okay, fuck it, decision time.  
  
"I'm going to call Mallek to come pick you up," you say, holding out a hand for a cellphone- Keiko hands it over without arguing. "I recognize that look. You need a break even more than I do. Not just from work, but from everything. Just... Take a full few days to just sleep, Keiko."  
  
Shit, you think as you search through her contacts for Mallek's ID, atleast you've forced yourself to take breaks. When was the last time Keiko did that for herself? You can't even remember from your own time running Atlantis.  
  
You dial Mallek, and give him a call.  
  
"Mallek? It's Mikari. I need you to come get Keiko..."  
  
Times like these, you REALLY miss Jolinar.  
  
An idle thought wonders what she's up to before you focus on the task at hand.  
  


* * *

  
  
**"I still find it odd that Christmas is a strange mashup of at least three or possibly more holidays across Human History,"** Lantash mused, observing the Christmas Tree as it spun idly in the O'neill-Carter living room, where Christmas was being held this year.  
  
**"As I understand it, it's not even an originally Christian holiday,"** You are Jolinar, and you confirm with a nod. **"Rather, a Pagan festival that was continued to be celebrated even as Christianity became a dominant religion, and the Church leaders basically decided 'Sure, why not? Let's just slap a Christian label on it and say it's celebrating Jesus' birth even though that's nowhere near when he was actually born by our records and go with it!'"**  
  
**"No, see, I get that part,"** Lantash says. **"What gets me is where Saint Nicholas comes into it."**  
  
**"Ah, yes, Santa Clause. Apparently there was some separate thing where he went around giving kids... what was it... Candies or Raisins? That doesn't sound right, but it's close enough for the metaphor, I suppose."** You shrug.   
  
Morgan doesn't recall herself, and shrugs as well, internally.  
  
**"Raisins? I could see how that gets turned into Coals, though, really, why is a lump of coal considered a bad thing? Surely back then when that part originally started it'd be a functional gift. You could burn it for energy!"** Lantash pauses- then winces as he then lets Jimmyy speak.   
  
"It's cause it's messy, and it gets everywhere, and it's pretty much worthless to a kid to use, and they'd have to give it up to their parents to even get any use out of it- namely, energy. These days, it's even less useful."  
  
Morgan can't help but laugh, and you can't either. What results is some strange mix of both of your voices echoing out.   
  
Lantash/Jimmyy smile at you both for a moment, then once your giggles have subsided, you continue explaining.  
  
**"Anyways. The original handing out of a wanted gift versus an unwanted gift happened in the days before the holiday originally, so it just wound up being merged together,"** you finish. **"Thus, Christmas became about Presents or Coal given by Jolly ol' Saint Nick who came down chimneys, while Also being ostensibly about Christ's birth, among whatever other insane oddities got added in over time, making it into the confusing mess of a holiday it is today."**  
  
**"So the Christians just couldn't keep it simple huh?"** Lantash remarks in a very O'neill like way. **"Couldn't they just make their own holiday instead?"**  
  
**"They did,"** You answer. **"That's what _Easter_ is about."**  
  
**"...I don't follow,"** Lantash blinks. **"How is a bunny giving out eggs a _Christian_ Holiday?"**  
  
**"That's the kidification of it, to make it 'family friendly,'"** you point out. **"It's originally about Christ's resurrection after death."**  
  
**"...Okay, I can see how that'd be kind of scary for the younger kids,"** Lantash frowns. **"But wait. Hold on. When was Jesus born?"**  
  
**"Properly, I believe it'd be somewhere around June or July in our current calendar, but if you followed the Christmas Date without knowing it, then it'd be December. Why?"** You ask.  
  
**"Because if you think about it, they wound up sandwiching his death _between his birth_ on either side,"** Lantash says.   
  
You and Morgan wince.  
  
"Ow. That's kinda harsh when you think about it," Morgan spoke.  
  
**"No wonder they went and turned it into kid friendly bunnies hopping around everywhere, leaving Eggs,"** Lantash shook his head. **"Seriously. Rabbits don't even lay eggs! Where does the Easter Bunny even get them from?"**  
  
**"Chickens,"** You guess. **"Hence why there are some people who give Easter Chickens as pet gifts still in some parts of the world."**  
  
**"...Wanted on a Farm, not so much for city living,"** Lantash frowns.   
  
A moment later, Jimmyy asks, "Is it wrong that I'm glad we've ditched Easter on Atlantis?"  
  
"Why's that?" Morgan asks.  
  
"Three words," Jimmyy holds up two fingers. "Easter Egg Hunts."  
  
Then, his expression turns horrified, and Lantash gripes, **"Oh by Egeria, who thought up such an idea? We'd be tripping over colorful candied shells for weeks after!"**  
  
Once again, you and Morgan can't help but to laugh.

* * *

"Were Lantash and Jolinar seriously just discussing Christmas' origins in there?" Your name is Jack O'neill, and you side-eye Sam as she slides a tray of cinamon rolls into the oven, while you work on frying up some scrambled eggs.   
  
"Sounds like it," Sam nods, smiling.  
  
"What dorks," you chuckle, keeping an eye on the eggs. Any minute now...  
  
The doorbell rings.   
  
"I'll get it!" Jimmyy calls out and goes to get it.  
  
You keep watching the eggs.  
  
"So, I got an email back from Teal'c," Sam starts. "He said he'll be a bit later than usual because of some family matters back home that has to be taken care of first. Rya'c and Kar'yn are coming with him as a result."  
  
"Family matters, eh?" You ask. "Well, the more the merrier, I say." And now you worry about seating for a few very long moments.  
  
"Atleast it's not Jaffa Council business," Sam smiles.   
  
"I mean, I can get that," you say. "Work never stops even on holidays. But Family matters?" You ask, raising an eyebrow. "That's a whole different kind of priority. Did he say what it was?"  
  
"He said it was a surprise, actually," Sam answers.  
  
"Huh. Well, that bodes well," you blink, and then swear, cause you nearly burn the eggs and have to quickly get back to scrambling. "Shit!"  
  


* * *

  
  
Breakfast was a loud, messy affair that was a lot of people crowded into a couple of different rooms because the O'neill house dining room really wasn't design for this many people.  
  
As it was, you are Vala Mal Doran, and your thieving instincts have you eyeing the glistening cinnamon roll on Jonas Quinn's plate.  
  
"Fish Boy, could you do me a favor and look elsewhere than your plate for a moment?" You ask.

Jonas gives you a flat stare and says, "Hell. no. I'm not giving you my cinnamon roll! Go get your own!"  
  
"But it's so far in the kitchen and I'd have to brave the crowd!" You protest. "Besides! Davekat are sharing!"  
  
"Davekat?" Jonas glances over at Davis and Karkat, who are very much not sharing, but rather fighting over the very large cinamon roll on Davis' plate. "I don't think that's sharing Va-" When he looks back he realizes that he's done as you asked and looked away. During that time, you swiped his cinamon roll for yourself, and are alread cutting into it with an energetic glee.  
  
"Thank you so very much for your generous contribution, Fish!" You grin, and plop a forkfull of roll into your mouth.  
  
Jonas just sighs, gets up, and goes to get another roll fresh for himself from the kitchen.  
  


* * *

  
  
Teal'c arrived about half way through Breakfast with his son Rya'c and Rya'c's wife Kar'yn in tow, and explained something about a rather large rodent infestation in the home Rya'c and Kar'yn had made for themselves on Chulak.  
  
That is to say, it was a small swarm of rodents of an unusually large, almost dog like, size, rather than a large swarm of small rodents.  
  
The Jaffa equivalent of Animal Control was taking care of things.   
  


* * *

  
  
"Hey, I noticed you and Callie didn't go for any cinnamon rolls this morning," your name is Roxy Egbert, and you check in with your distaff counterpart while the food eating activity slows to a crawl, and dishes are being put in the sink.  
  
"Oh, yeah," Roxy Lalonde laughs, a grin on his face. "We went for Cinnabon last night after the movie, so it felt a little redundant."  
  
"Ah, that's fair enough," you muse.   
  
"Plus! Did you see how rabid everyone was for them today?" He continues. "It's rare enough that Jack buys people lunch, but hand making pretty much everything for breakfast? That's gotta be, like, a one in a million shot!"  
  
"It really is surprising," you agree. "I wonder what brought that on to-"  
  
"Alright, everyone!" Chixie announces suddenly. "I'd like to announce that you're all in for a special treat today! Once we're ready to open presents, I'll be giving you all my gift to everyone first! A new song I've been working on! Jake! Did you bring the MP3 player like I asked you to?"  
  
"Uh! Yes! I think I did! Give me a second...!"  
  
People start clapping and you see Jake suddenly start floundering for his Sylladex, giving you the impression that he'd NOT been made aware of this announcement being on its way.  
  
"Here!" Jake announces, decaptchaloging a tiny, silver device. "Here! Actually! Yes! I do have it! Right here!"  
  
"Awesome!" Chixie claps her hands. "I've got a bunch of Christmas songs loaded up on it that we can listen to after while we're opening things! I'll just get that set up!" She snatches the player. "Jack! Sam! Where's the plug-in for the stereo?"  
  
"Well," RoLal laughs, shaking his head. "This is going to be an interesting morning."  
  
"Tell me about it," you agree.

* * *

[Chixie's new song played](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IieuQ7sYKs) over the Speakers that O'neill had around his living room for the surround sound system.

You are Daniel Jackson, and you sit next to Sarah as you, and everyone else listens to the song playing.  
  
Your thoughts can barely focus on the song though, concern running through your mind over the snipit of conversation you caught between Waver, Yeesha, and Joey earlier.  
  
Zelenka had discovered that someone named Alex had been searching the Atlantis Database for the location of Janus' Lab, something you've done countless times and nearly written it off as a dead end.  
  
...But surely there had to be something, right?  
  
Why go to the trouble they did to break into Atlantis just to search the Database for something?  
  
...You feel now more than ever that you're missing something important with this.  
  
Sarah squeezes your hand, and smiles at you. "Something on your mind?" She asks.  
  
"Just the usual," you answer.  
  
You've got to figure this out.

* * *

"Alright," Artoria Pendragon began, offering a wooden sword to Artoria Gray. "Hold this as I instruct you, and follow the motions as I instruct..."  
  
"Okay," Gray nods.  
  
You are Mordred Pendragon, and you sit and watch form the back deck as your Mother teaches your alt-timeline-self's great something granddaughter how to properly wield a sword.  
  
The backyard behind O'neill's house is pretty spacious, all things considered. Spacious enough for some sword training.  
  
Gray knows how to wield a spear and, oddly enough, a scythe rather instinctively, you've found after a few off and on training sessions back on Atlantis here and there. It's the sword where she's weak, though.  
  
You have your one wild sort of style, but you could tell it wouldn't be a fit for Gray. She's not nearly as reckless as you are sometimes.   
  
Convincing your mother to teach Gray was only as hard as it was to show off a recording of what Gray's powers could do to a planet when funneled through a Megazord. The powers that she'd had in her from birth, being descended from an Artoria who had Excaliber melted down and merged into her very blood.   
  
Powers that, if not properly honed, could cause a lot of damage.  
  
While Gray had gotten a grasp on those powers in the form of a Spear, that had been before any of you had truly understood what exactly what was going on with them.  
  
Ka'turnal explaining what Ba'al had done to that other time line's Artoria... The sword in her blood, and how it carried on down the family line...  
  
It was training that bared re-examining, Artoria and Gray had both agreed. Even that Lord El Melloi guy too...  
  
Who is also here at the yearly Christmas get together for some danged reason.  
  
You glance back inside and see him, and that Yeesha woman, talking with Joey Claire about something just on the other side of the back door.   
  
Joey seems concerned about something- no doubt everything that went down back on Atlantis the other day.  
  
"Now, continue practicing those forms, and remember, Excaliber's energies want to be freely channeled along the blade's edge," Artoria states, sounding like she's quoting someone- Merlin probably. "You must only allow as much energy free as needed for a given strike. There are rules to engagement to determine how much to use..."  
  
"I think I know what you mean," Gray says. "Inorder for me to use the Spear's power effectively, I have to use atleast six varrying conditions."  
  
"List them!" Artoria orders.  
  
"The enemy must be more powerful than me," Gray begins counting off, going through the motions of sword positions. "The battle must be one on one. The enemy must not be an elemental. The battle must be against evil. The battle must not be for personal gain. The battle must not be against humanity. The battle must be for truth. It must be to live. My companions must be courageous. The battle must not be against one pure of heart. The battle must be a honorable one. The battle must be to save the world!"  
  
"Good," Artoria nods. "You've found all but one, and that is sufficient. Those apply for your Spear as well as for the Sword, however, instead of needing several to use any of that power at once, you must remember that each restriction lifted for the sword is but an additional increase in fire power. The more conditions met, the more power you need for any given fight."  
  
"Of course," Gray nodded.  
  
Artoria began walking her through new forms, using a training sword of her own to show the forms.  
  
You can't help but feel like this is the kind of thing you should have had all those centuries ago- without the Andromeda Ascendants intervening as they did, would it have gone that way?  
  
You can't say for certain.  
  
Still, better late than never to get these kinds of chances, you say.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Well, I think that went well!" Your name is Jake Harley, and you smile at Chixie as she changes the music from the 'Unreleased tracks' playlist to 'christmas music' playlist.   
  
"Oh! Definitely!" She smiles back as she hops on her feet slightly, and then sits down on your lap, wrapping her arms around your shoulders, and nuzzling up against your neck. "Going by everyone's reaction, i think it'll be a big hit!"  
  
"Nice track, Roixmr!" Dammek offers a hand in high five as he passes by you on the way to the kitchen.  
  
"Thanks, Dammek!" Chixie meets the high five, then returns her arm to around your shoulders.  
  
"So... " You smirk. "Was that the only present you got me this year?"  
  
"Oh, no, I got you something special," Chixie smirks right back and then kisses you on the cheek. "But~ that's~ going~ to~ wait~ 'til~ we~ get~ home~ tonight~!" She sing songs into your ear.  
  
**_OH._**  
  
**_WELL THEN._**  
  
"I can wait," you answer, then kiss her on the lips.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Jade Harley, and you find yourself idly solving a scrambled Rubix cube not by your hands, but with your powers!!

Almost-Mom-Sister-Aunt Jade got you the thing to practice fine control with, and if you accidentally broke it, then that was fine because it was meant to come apart to more easily 'reset' it if one so desired to!  
  
It's easily the best gift you got today- to the point you can barely remember what else you got!  
  
June and Nepp are busy coloring in some Power Rangers themed coloring books nearby, and Rose is...  
  
Well, Rose is watching Older-Her with some fixed intent of some kind while holding a ball of Yarn as if she's going to throw it.  
  
...Well, Rose did get Yarn Balls from Aunt Rose, but you're pretty sure that's not one of them. You don't remember her getting any balls of yarn in GREEN today...  
  
Rose tosses the ball of Yarn and Aunt Rose catches it easily.  
  
"Hm, not bad," Aunt Rose smiles. "I was running low on this shade of Green."  
  
...Okay, whatever. You turn back to solving your Rub-  
  
**POP!**  
  
"AAAH!" you shriek as tiny colored pieces of plastic rain down onto your lap. "Dang it!"  
  
June starts giggling like crazy, and Nepp just looks up, blinking in confusion. "Huh? What happened?"  
  
"I popped the cube," you lament, scooping up the pieces and grabbing the core with your hand to start putting everything back together. "Now I gotta start over."  
  
"Oh, dang," Nepp frowns.   
  
"It's okay, though," you smile. "I'll get it right this time!"  
  
After all, Practice makes Perfect!!  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Cassandra Fraiser, and despite everything, you feel content.  
  
You have no horrible vibes of imminent doom warning you of catastrophies to avert, or disasters to meddle with. Pegasus' issues are far enough distant that what negative vibes you do get are vague, and not giving you any details to work off of anyways, and...  
  
And ever since Ba'al's extraction ceremony, you don't feel like there's a sword hanging over your head in the form of an unfinished time loop.  
  
Okay, sure, there's still GIZA to sort out, but you meant the whole Achilles thing.  
  
Your older-alternate self sits over in a corner, talking to your mother, and keeping an eye on Penny while she hugs a recently-released-from-its-wrapping Glaceon Plushie to near death.  
  
That disaster, that averted timeline, is past now.   
  
It took you a while to really accept it, but... Giza is the only looming thread over your head and you can't really feel anything going wrong with that given the tiny tidbits and morsels of information Joey's leaked out over time.   
  
Given that Joey is alive, and here, and smiling at her daughter as she gnaws on a piece of cinnamon roll, and not warning you all about taking any last minute insurance policies out, you're pretty sure everything's going to turn out just fine.  
  
Jude puts an arm around your shoulders, and you look to him. He smiles, you smile back.  
  
You're content and happy and life is just... Fine.  
  
It's fine and perfect and-  
  
And you can't complain right now.  
  
Milky Way's problems are few and far between, and nothing that really deserves your Vibes of Doom to get you through.  
  
...The paranoia from what Damara did will probably kick in at some point, but for now, you're content that there's nothing looming on the horizon locally.   
  
...You feel like you're forgetting something, though.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Excuse me, Ka'ssandra," Janet says, standing up. "I need to refill my drink."  
  
"Of course," the older woman nods, and then looks down to Penny. "C'mere for a moment, little one. I need to tell you something very important."  
  
She scoops Penny up and places her on her lap.  
  
"Yea?" Penny asks. "Wha' isit?"  
  
"Next year, you are going to play a game," the woman starts, decaptchaloging a small, wrapped box and handing it to the girl. "The rules are simple. It's a game of Pretend that starts once you open this box. Don't open it until you're at home and alone. And don't tell anyone you're playing it until you're done with everything. Can you promise me that you'll do as the Box asks?"  
  
Penny frowns. "It's not gonna hurt anyone, is it?  
  
"Of course not, sweetie," Ka'turnal lies for Cassandra, who knows all too well that someone does die as a result of this. "Infact, you're going to save people. Many people who'd be hurt otherwise." That much is true, however.   
  
"Okay then," Penny nods. "I'll do it!"  
  
"Good girl," the woman smiles at the daughter she'd had in another life, and waits for Penny to captchalogue the box into her Sylladex. Then, she puts the girl back on the ground to return to playing with her Glaceon plush.  
  
And thus all but the final steps of a certain time loop are put into place without anyone noticing.  
  


* * *

  
"Okay, so, I'm just asking for the record," your name is Cameron Mitchel, and you and Mordred are about to have a rather serious discussion about the situation. "Are we, as in, the you and I of right here and now... Going to actually do anything about this?"  
  
Mordred eyes you, then side eyes the abundance of flyers for lunch take out. "Are we talking about O'neill and Carter making us make the lunch decision because apparently everyone else is gridlocked, or are we talking about the apparent rock hanging over our heads of alt uses having a romantic relationship and everyone expecting us to hook up?"  
  
Inwardly you can't help but laugh, outwardly, you play it cool.. "Well, I was talking about lunch, but if you want to talk about that other thing, I guess now's a good time as any."  
  
Mordred rolls his eyes. "Okay, for lunch, I say..." He jabs a thumb at a Pizza Hut Flyer. "Pizza." He then quotes the slogan on said flyer. "Can't out Pizza the Hut. Now, let's pretend we're not doing that so we can come back to it later."  
  
"Okay, fair enough," you shrug. You've got no objections, honestly. A bit louder, for the room, you stage yell, "Oh! Come on! Not Taco Bell! I don't think they're even open today!"  
  
"As for the other thing," Mordred glances around, once sure everyone's bought it. "Honestly, I think everyone's been side-eyeing us since we found out about that little family relation fact. Which, really, puts a whole lot of pressure on us to try and find out whatever alt-uses actually had going for them. As in, I really don't want to do that sort of thing with people expecting it from us."  
  
"Yeah, tell me about it," you shake your head. "So. What do we do about it?"  
  
"Idea one is we play it cool and normal on the outside, keep denying we're doing anything to anybody who asks like we've been doing to their constant asking," Mordred lays it out. "Then, once they get the hint and lay off, we actually see about maybe trying something in the background? See if it works? If it does, it does, if it doesn't it doesn't, and there's no pressure on us to make it work."  
  
"Yeah, that could work, but what's idea two?" you ask.  
  
"Idea two is we do the first part of idea one, deny deny deny, but really, we're actually trying things in private and just seeing if it even works between this version of us," he shrugs. "And regardless of if it works out between us or doesn't, we troll the hell out of them."  
  
"Oh?" you raise an eyebrow. "I'm always down for a good trolling."  
  
"We play it up, setting up all the romancey lovey dovey shit they're expecting, but we keep subverting it last second, and denying the fuck out of it if they ask," Mordred smirks.   
  
"You know, I actually like that idea a lot better. Hell, even if we weren't going to be actively trying to actually start a romance thing up to see if it works, I'd go for it just to mess with peop0le," you say. "Should serve the rumor mills right with all their gossip if we frustrate them to no end like that."  
  
Mordred laughs. "Well, are we decided then?"  
  
"Oh, absolutely," you nod, snatching up the Pizza Hut flyer, and declaring, "Alright everyone! We're ordering Pizza!"

* * *

Your name is Argo Lalonde, and you can't help but feel warm and fuzzy inside as a truly massive order of pizzas gets funneled inside the O'neill-Carter house.  
  
Oh, sure, you're hungry as fuck for some pizza, but you're sitting here on the couch, with Jade on your right, John on your left, Lizzy on John's lap, watching as he reads to her from a comic, and Casey napping in Jade's arms.  
  
Your wings stretch out and hug them both tightly to you, even as you check on your emails via cellphone, approving an expedited order for a window replacement.  
  
You'll have to ask what really happened when you get back, but for the moment you're content with the excuse of "The storm blew a massive hailstone through the window" to not question it for now.  
  
Because, really, if the storm had been THAT bad, you're super glad that none of you were there for it.  
  
Not after... Not after the last storm.  
  
But, as horrible as thoughts of those times are, they serve as fuel for the warmth that is the current fire in your soul keeping everything warm because you are with your family, direct and extended, and are enjoying life to its fullest.  
  
Things are kinda great right now, and that's alright.  
  
You take the warm and fuzzies while they're here and appreciate the heck out of them for all they're worth.  
  
You close your eyes and lean your head back against the couch's back cushion for a few moments, reveling in the smells and sounds of pure chaos.

* * *

"Hey, Cam, I've got a question," Vala suddenly asks.  
  
Your name is Jude Harley, and your heart skips a beat.  
  
Oh no.  
  
"Sure, what is it, Vala?" Mitchel asks- pizza frozen mere inches away from his mouth.  
  
Mordred looks prepared to deflect an awkward question.  
  
"Did your parents ask you to come home for Christmas or do you not do that?" Vala asks.  
  
Shit that's- uh... actually not what you were expecting her to ask at all.  
  
"Nah," Mitchel takes a bite of his pizza, chews for several long moments, and then swallows. "We don't do usually Christmas since I joined the Air Force. Instead we push it back until New Years. Sort of do a combo holiday thing."  
  
Huh. That's not the answer you were expecting either.  
  
"Huh," Vala blinks. "Cool. Curiosity satisfied." Then she turns to her own pizza slice, only to find it missing. "Huh? What?"  
  
"Thanks for the generous contribution, Vala," Jonas quips, waving a slice of pizza in the air before taking a bite of it.   
  
"Oh! So that's how you want to play it, huh, Fishy boy?" Vala grins.   
  
...Man, is your team weird sometimes. But you wouldn't trade them for the world.  
  


* * *

  
"Mallek, I can walk from the book room back to our apartment," Keiko fusses as you carry her bridal stile through the city hallways.  
  
"Sorry," you are Mallek Adalov, and "I'm under strict orders from Mikari to get you tucked in bed and sleeping!"  
  
"She's not really our boss anymore," Keiko pouts.  
  
"True, but she is our friend," you reply. "And I'll follow those orders regardless of who's in control in Atlantis."  
  
"Siiiigh. Fine. That's fair enough," Keiko rests her head against your neck. "I just wish we could've stayed for the party."  
  
"Kazuto and Shiori understand," you say. "I explained it to them."  
  
"You did, when?" Keiko asks.  
  
"About when you passed out getting back to their place, and I went to pack our things back up," you answer.  
  
"I did?" Keiko frowns. "I thought you took us straight to Atlantis."  
  
"Nope," you answer. "You conked out pretty hard there. I was worried I was going to have to take you to the infirmary."  
  
Actually, that might not be such a bad idea, just in case of a relapse of that whole second childhood thing Rodney ran into.  
  
Apparently you said that last part out loud, because Keiko protests.  
  
"I'm not losing my memory like Mckay did. I'm just tired," Keiko whines, then yawns. "'Parently."  
  
"Yeah, well, better safe than sorry," you say, and change course.  
  
You're not taking chances on this one.

* * *

_**VRRRMMMSSsshshshs...**_  
  
"Welcome back, Lloyd," you are Akita once more, and you smile as you see that your Alternian friend has returned to Atlantis with a grumpy look on his face. "How did things go with your friends?"  
  
"Oh, hey, Akita," Lloyd smiles tiredly- the grumpyness fading for a moment. "What're you doing here, waiting for me?"  
  
"Kinda," you answer. "I volunteered for guard duty for today's shifts."  
  
"Guard duty?" Lloyd frowns. "Did something happen?"  
  
"You could say that," you shake your head. "I'll tell you later when Maka and Soul get back."  
  
"Fair enough," Lloyd sighs. "Well, as for everything that happened back in Alternia Galaxy... I think I finally set some proper boundaries."  
  
"You did, huh?" You ask. "Was it hard?"  
  
"I had to make them promise never to come to Atlantis for reasons relating to me personally, and I wouldn't be opposed to seeing them if they came to visit the city for other reasons... But..." Lloyd takes a deep breath, and exhales. "it was hard to work through, to get everyone to agree, but they did, eventually."  
  
"Well, hopefully we won't have any more problems on that front," you say.  
  
"Yeah," Lloyd laughs a short, bark of a laugh. "Hopefully."  
  


* * *

  
  
Doctor Gina Kae returned to her Lab in Atlantis after a resounding success of an Introduce the Boyfriend to parents Christmas break, only to find her lab to be a ransacked mess.  
  
"Oh what now..." She sighed, and started moving to sort things back where they belonged...  
  
And then she paused upon finding a note taped to the copy of the RPM Wrist Brace Morpher she'd created. She picked up the letter, the tape popping as she did so, and gazed at the familiar handwriting.  
  
"Gina," she read, "I'm sorry to have borrowed this before you got a chance to properly bond to it, but it was a life or death situation. I lived, and someone else died. If I hadn't taken it, maybe that would be the other way around. Either way. I'm sorry to have messed up your lab. Doctor Freeman."   
  
Gina blinked, put the letter back down on the table and stared at the Morpher for a moment. it looked a little bit like the bronze paints had been scorched off in some kind of blast pattern in places.   
  
Finally, she just summarized her feelings with a simple, unassuming, "Huh."  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: INTERMISSION: Fluff/New Year, Encore  
> \----  
> We check in with Ruby, and her teammates through her. Karren and Rhubee are still fighting scorpions, it's been an all night sort of thing.  
> \---  
> Rodney finally gets Keller's email, and replies. I was still revising that email up until posting, so you KNOW Keller was doing the same until she hit send.  
> \---  
> Here's a scene that just spawned out of control, but still based a little on my own personal experiences with burn out and other family drama related reasons. 
> 
> Keiko's carried a lot of the narrative weight here in Atlantis this version of events. And she's not done yet. >_>; 
> 
> Poor girl gets a writer mandated break for once! Go take a few days long naps, Keiko!!  
> \---  
> Jolinar and Lantash's conversation is based on a couple different ones I've had on the subject of Christmas and Easter over the years. There's just something funny about the Tok'ra characters doing this kind of philosophical deep dive.  
> \---  
> A Rarity! Jack's cooking a lot of the meal, basically! Man, first a lunch, now this? Jack's paychecks must really be soaring, running Homeworld Security. (Still a stupid name, btw.)  
> \---  
> Vala is a clever bird sometimes. Jonas is an easily distracted fish, but he learns. LOL  
> Also, Davekat!  
> \---  
> Skyrim Skeever reference. Those rats are HUGE. 0_0;  
> \---  
> Roxy's chat. That's really all there is to say on the matter.  
> \---  
> Chixie's song is Oath Sign- this version a cover of one of Fate/Zero's openings. 
> 
> ...Foreshadowing? What foreshadowing could you possibly mean? I see no foreshadowing...
> 
> Okay, fine, Daniel's going to help get the Janus Lab unlocked in a couple of chapters. There. Ya happy for the exposed foreshadowing for what it is? XP  
> \---  
> Artoria and Gray get some family time together, while Mordred sits and watches and ponders FATE.  
> \---  
> Jake and Chixie Fluff, as requested. I might've forgotten about them without the reminder. So thanks!  
> \---  
> A check in with the Kids! They've had a pretty low-risk bit of living the last few months. Jade's still practicing with her powers, Rose is still sorta-kinda-trolling her older self, and June and Nepp are just living life as kids their age should, not worrying about alternate selves and stuff like that.
> 
> Also, Obligatory Rubix Cube reference.  
> \---  
> Cassie check in. She's doing pretty well for the moment despite a pair of time loops still hanging over head.  
> \---  
> Speaking of, Her elder-alt self+Ka'turnal (KAssandra), gives Penny some instructions for finishing off that timeloop. Joey didn't need to worry about herself setting Penny up to lie about whatever details may have gone wibbly over time, Ka'turnal takes the moral heat on that one. 
> 
> Funny how that works out.  
> \---  
> Mitchel/Mordred talk about pizza and romance.  
> \---  
> John/Argo/Jade+Kids Fluff!  
> \---  
> Jonas gets his revenge, and I cover a question that nagged at me. Why was Cam going to SG-1 family Christmases but not his own?  
> \---  
> Mallek bridal carries Keiko around Atlantis. Dawww.
> 
> Before anyone worries, yes, she's fine. Just overworked and needing a break. Seriously. Go take a nap, Keiko!  
> \---  
> We didn't see Lloyd dealing with his Ninjagoverse expied friends, mainly because I didn't want to think up corruptions for every single one of their names. I mean, Pyxal and Zane were hard enough to extend to fit the alternian 6/6 letter name spacing thing. Kai? Nya? Jay? Cole? Bluuuhhh. Didn't want to even try doing that for them. It's ridiculous. I mean, I could DO it, but... Bluh. I don't want to add in even MORE characters at this stage than I absolutely have to.  
> \---  
> Gina has one of those "Huh" moments where you're not quite sure what to think of things.


	21. ARTWORK: Freeman: GET IN GEAR!

_**"RPM! GET IN GEAR!"** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE! The Artwork Itch got scratched on this one pretty quick. Akita pic coming later in the week, or maybe the week after, depending on Finishing time and how I feel the chapter breakdown follows.
> 
> The promised third fluff chapter will go up tomorrow, regardless of how soon I finish the Akita picture, though.


	22. INTERMISSION: Fluff/New Year, Encore

**EARTH DATE: DECEMBER 31ST, 2003.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 07/12/0007.**  
  
"You know," Joey says, gazing up at the stars. "We're extremely lucky Atlantis's day-night cycle lined up with Earth's cycle today, for the most part."  
  
"Oh, for sure," your name is Polypa Goezee, and you're busy setting up a fireworks display. "Just a tad annoying it won't line up with Diaspora's new year, but oh well."  
  
"We might be back on Diaspora by the time the new year rolls around," Joey says.  
  
"Eh, true. But still. This is kinda fun, isn't it?" You ask, making sure everything's lined up...  
  
Okay.  
  
Perfect!  
  
You check your watch. Just another minute or so until the clock ticks over for Earth's international date line.  
  
"Yeah," Joey laughs. "Been a while since we've set off some explosives! Just the two of us, I mean."  
  
"Yeah," you grin. "Let's make some sparks fly!"  
  
Thirty seconds, you ignite the flame tatts and spread the sparks along the fuses.  
  
Off they go...  
  
Twenty Five...  
  
Closer...  
  
Fifteen...  
  
Closer!!!

"TEN!" The voices from Atlantis' population cry out from all around.  
  
You and Joey join in:  
  
"NINE!"  
  
The flames surge upwards.  
  
"EIGHT!"  
  
They enter the fuse boxes.  
  
"SEVEN!"  
  
Sparks begin to fly out the exhaust pipes.;  
  
"SIX!"  
  
The smallest rockets take off.  
  
"FIVE!"  
  
They fly! THEY FLY!  
  
"FOUR!"  
  
The mediums take off!  
  
"THREE!"  
  
ALMOST THERE!!!  
  
"TWO!"  
  
The giants take off.  
  
"ONE!!!"  
  
 **EARTH DATE: JANUARY 1ST, 2004.**  
  
 _ **BOOM! POOM! BWAM! SPARKLERS!**_  
  
You stand up, and link hands with Joey as you watch the explosives go off.  
  
 ** _BFOOOM! THOOM! BOOM! MOOOOAAAAR SPARKLIIIIIEEEEESSS!!_**  
  
"Polypa..." Joey starts suddenly. "Was that a custom firework with our signs and a Spades sign between them just now?"  
  
 ** _BOOM! BANG! EVEN MORE SPARKLERS!!!!_**  
  
"Yeeep," you answer. "I mean, I did some other custom ship requests from a few people, but that was my proof of concept."  
  
 _ **POOM! BLWAAMO! WOWZA SPARKLERS!!!!**_  
  
"Goezee, you're such a Showoff," she teases. "Branding the sky like that."  
  
 _ **SHOOMP! FOOM! BAWM! FIZZLE FLASH SPARKLERS!!!**_  
  
"You're the one who branded me first, Claire," You counter. "S'only fair."  
  
"Hah!" Joey laughs. "Yeah. I guess it is."  
  
 _ **BOOM BOOM! BANG BANG! EXTRA SPECIAL SPIRAL SPARKLERS BANG!**_  
  
"Wow," you say. "Good grief, that one was even more ostentatious than I thought it'd be."  
  
"Goes to show you went the extra mile," Joey laughed. "Nicely done!"  
  
"Well, thanks!" you grin.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some explosive fluff. Joey and Polypa Kismesisitude shipping. 
> 
> Next chapter is the Artwork for Akita, which I've finished and looks pretty dang good.
> 
> After that: INTERMISSION: Tit for Tat-toos.


	23. ARTWORK: Akita Reflects

_"The wind blows where it wills, skimming the frozen tundras and sending snow across the chilled landscapes. And while a lone wolf may wander this expanse alone, it will not be forever. For when the sun rises, and flames spark in rebellion to thaw the landscape, the frozen, corrupted heart ruling the place may yet shatter, and peace be restored."_ \- Fae Lord Alicia Rue, of the Cait Syth People.

...You are quite sure that she said that. At least 76% certain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alicia was not the philosophy type, in actuality. And the quote actually belonged to her friend and fellow Fae Lord Sakuya of the Sylphs, instead.  
> \--  
> As previously reported, the next chapter is INTERMISSION: Tit for Tat-toos.
> 
> It's a scene based off of this image.  
> \---  
> NOTES:  
> ATLANTIS. IS. ANNOYING. TO. DRAW.  
> So many different textures and gleaming surfaces and the REFLECTIONS AND GAAAAAAAAAH.
> 
> I was originally just going to use an upscaled screenshot from Stargate Atlantis entirely for the background, but it looked like shit once upscaled, and it'd clash with the overall look of the image. Sooo I traced the city and tried to replicate the background as best as I could. 
> 
> Akita's jacket is a hybrid jacket. It's pattern comes from the original Atlantis uniform jacket, but it's done in the colors of the newer uniform style. It's also not official uniform kit. She just ordered it from Diaspora because her other owned jackets were far, FAR too heavy for casual wear in Atlantis. 
> 
> Akita's tattoos are based off of the symbol markings present on her official LEGO Minifigure. The wolf Tattoo on her ankle is the metal emblem of a wolf that she wears, the sort of spiraly G shapes were on the collar in a repeating pattern around her neck, and the markings on her shoulder are the face whiskers that this timeline's Akita doesn't wear, but I wanted to be present in some form anyways.
> 
> ...Also, don't bother translating the Ancient text on the wall behind her. It's just a repeating line I threw on there for texture.


	24. INTERMISSION: Tit for Tat-toos.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A scene based on the previous art chapter.

**EARTH DATE: JANUARY 2ND, 2004.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 07/14/0007.**  
  
Your name is Soul Ehvans, and you're grumbling as Maka and Lloyd and Akita drag you to go fishing off of part of Atlantis' West Pier.  
  
The wind is blowing something... well, not fierce, but harder than you're comfortable with. Which is to say, any wind blowing at all. After that sudden adventure Maka's mother got called away on and dragged you BOTH along for the ride and...  
  
Uh.  
  
Skydiving without a parachute was NOT a thing you expected to be doing over Earth's Christmas-to-New-Year break.   
  
The wind kind of freaks you out for the moment, light as it actually is.  
  
But suck it up, Ehvans! You passed whatever weird ass initiation ritual Maka's mother had planned for you, even if neither of you are ACTUALLY dating, that's still something! You've proven your worth as a Teammate if nothing more.   
  
A Good Partner will help their teammates through anything.  
  
And if that happens to be braving the winds and going fishing, well...  
  
It's a Friday. Fridays are good days for confronting fears.  
  
As you set up everything, Akita sit-leans against a short wall and holds her right arm up into the air- the bracelet gleams in the sunlight, reflecting against her face, making her right eye squint shut. Then a gust of wind blows against her- hair and clothes being dragged along in that direction for a few moments.   
  
That's when you notice a series of pale, orange markings on her left shoulder and around her neck.  
  
"...Uh, Akita? Since when did you have tattoos?" You ask before your brain catches up with your mouth.  
  
"What?" Maka asks, "You didn't notice before, Soul?" Oh, no, you recognize that grin.  
  
"No, this is the first time I've noticed them," you say, a bit hesitantly.  
  
"Glubbing damn it," Lloyd huffs, "Fine. Stupid freaking bets." He unfolds his wallet and retrieves a few bills, passing them to Maka.   
  
"Hahah! Thank you, Armadn!" Maka grins, pocketing the cash.  
  
"You okay with them passing money off you and me like that?" You ask Akita.  
  
"I was curious how long it'd take you as well," Akita shrugs, lowering her arm back down to the wall she's leaning against. "As for the answer. My legs?" She kicks out her left leg- and you focus on a small wolf-face tattoo above her ankle. "I've had this one since I was first able to turn into a Werewolf. The Cu-Sidhe Village I lived in at that time had this tradition of signifying milestones with magic tattoos." She adjusts her stance, and thrusts out her right leg.   
  
Two bands of angled, sort of G shaped boxes cover her ankle and upper lower leg, just below the knee.   
  
"These represent hunts that I participated in, and were successful in completing. Some of the older Hunters in the Village have their whole legs and arms covered in this glyph." Akita shrugs off her jacket's shoulders very intentionally, and points to the wing-like markings next. "These are a sign of Graduation among the village. I passed a certain test, and these whiskers were granted to me. Most choose to wear them on their face, however. I thought they looked better on my shoulders." Shrugging her jacket back on, she went to stand from the wall.  
  
"What about the ones around your neck?" You ask. "They look like the ones on your leg, but angled differently."  
  
Akita purses her lips, then says, "They're signsof my surviving a life or death situation."  
  
"...Huh," you blink, watching as she pulls back her hair and does a small turn to show that they go all the way around her neck, four in total, one to each cardinal direction applied to her neck, front, back, left, right. "That's something. Must've hurt."  
  
"Truthfully," Akita says, letting her hair back down. "Not at all. I had Lloyd help me with the most recent one, after Christmas." She pointed at the one directly at the front of her throat. The one you'd be most likely to notice were she wearing her usual uniform on any given day and not the super causal tanktop and skirt she is now.  
  
(Not exactly prime fishing attire, really, but none of you can really throw any stones in that regard. Lloyd's wearing an open button down hawaiian print shirt with a gaudy green and gold color scheme over a pair of cargo shorts, for example. You're just wearing your normal sign shirt and sweatpants. Maka? Maka's wearing some fancy black dress for some goddamned out of her mind reason.)  
  
"It's pretty interesting, actually," Lloyd says, miming motions as he speaks. "There's this small card like a spray-paint template, and a brush that generates some magic powder whenever you pick it up. So you just paint on the tattoo and it sticks to the skin permanently after that."  
  
"Fae Magic is such cheating," Maka gripes. "Makes me jealous, really."  
  
"Are you saying that because of the massive wing spread your mom has on her back, or because she lucked out and got a Zillyum power that lets her turn them into real, functioning bird wings?" You ask.  
  
"Maybe a bit of both," Maka sniffs, then changes the subject. "Now then! The fish aren't going to wait."  
  
She grabs a fishing rod and does a spin-twirl before throwing out a hook into the ocean.  
  
The dress's end flares out dramatically in the process...  
  
Okay, maybe that's why she decided to wear that to go fishing. Seems extra, but hey, it's a vacation day, so why the hell not be extra while fishing?  
  
Wait.  
  
"Wait, how long have you guys known about that tattoos and I haven't?" You ask.  
  
"Girls' Locker Room first day Akita joined our team," Maka answers.  
  
"Like, a day or two after that whole Wraith Worshipers hung us over a cliff thing?" Lloyd shrugs, and grabs a fishing rod. "I felt kinda silly not noticing them at first after that."  
  
"We were in the middle of a life or death situation, to be fair," Akita says, idly tapping the mark on her neck's left side with her left hand, before grabbing a fishing rod.   
  
"...Man, I'm really slow, aren't I?" You ask.  
  
"For a former sports player? Yep, you very much are!" Maka answers. "Now grab a rod and get fishing!" She sticks her tongue out at you.  
  
Yeah yeah yeah yeah...  
  
You grab a rod and get fishing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: MINISODE: What happened to the Mouse?  
> \---  
> ...I'm tempted to write another fluff chapter and round out the week with *that,* but if I did that then I risk the chances of a Two Parter episode being spread across a weekend, and, well...
> 
> Nah. It's time we get back to the plot, though the fluff is enjoyable, we can't just dwell on it for too much longer. The Plot Must Move On.  
> \---  
> Soul remarking on the tattoos is a design remark on the fact that, paradoxically, observation of those markings couldn't exist until after artwork of her was made, despite the fact that they'd been there the entire time.
> 
> And hey, I got some small world building out of it, too.


	25. MINISODE: What happened to the Mouse?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clown. Rather. What happened to the Clown? But it don't matter. Just like *when* this snipit takes place doesn't matter either.

The Citadel began to collapse. and Weiss darted her eyes towards the clown behind all of this.  
  
The shouts and cries of reality collapsing around them meant nothing as Weiss hurled herself forwards towards Marvus, rapier thrusting forwards with spot on precision towards his heart.  
  
But... Damn it-! The Unending was starting to tug at her very being to try to expel her.  
  
 **"Not YET!"** Weiss roared, shifting her innate powers from stabbing her blade to literally throwing it.  
  
The connection snapped back, and Weiss was yanked out of the Unending by force.  
  
Her sword continued onward like a rocket.  
  
Marvus yelled as he tried to dodge- but the blade dug deep into his flesh before the Unending pulled him and that sword in different directions.  
  
Weiss' sword landed in the Diasporan forest... but Marvus?  
  
Oh, Marvus found himself in a whole heap of trouble due to the blade affecting his trajectory across space-time. The wound he suffered meant that his destiny had been changed. Scratched, if you will.  
  
For, you see, he landed face first in the middle of an operating room onboard a Wraith Hiveship, groaning, and barely conscious from the rough landing that had just happened.  
  
A glowering Wraith Commander stood, and gazed down at the wounded Clown, and began to smirk.  
  
"Well. It seems it's your lucky day, mortal. A willing sacrifice has given himself to replace you in the Running for today!" The Commander waved his arm, and the poor fool who had just about to have a tracking device planted in him was dragged away to wait for today's fate to come back to him tomorrow.  
  
Marvus was hauled up onto the operating table.  
  
"Treat the mutant's wounds, and plant a tracking device within them," the commander ordered. "We will have this one run for us. I think he will give us a greater challenge than that other mortal ever would."  
  
Given the sheer amount of magic based chaos in the galaxy as of late, the Wraith Commander never questioned how or why this fool had shown up where he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say here except that this is a really low swing of a story note to take right before the weekend.
> 
> Next Chapter: INTERMISSION: Rescuer.


	26. INTERMISSION: Rescuer.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LARGE BUFFER BONUS CHAPTER POSTING!  
> \---  
> Closure on the whole events of Half Life 2 Episode 2's "Save Alyx" mission.

**EARTH DATE: JANUARY 5TH, 2004.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 07/17/0007.**  
  
Your name is Silvered Wing.  
  
You are what your recently freed civilization currently calls itself BAHRO for lack of a better term after your original name was long since erased from memory. There are others of your kind along the many branches of the tree that call themselves LINK WEAVERS, but that itself comes along with a whole PHILOSOPHY and CULTURE that your kind do not have.  
  
Thousands of years of indentured servitude, many of which owed to a race that no longer knew you were there or were even making use of you, and your kind waited.  
  
And once freed, nearly fractured into war. They are dead now, though, and your people are alive.  
  
Alive, and lurking in the shadows, watching, and waiting, for it is all you really know how to do.  
  
Your people- Bahro- still have yet to find a cultural identity for yourselves. The Link Weavers seem so foreign to you as a whole, yet so different. They wear Clothes! Like the D'ni, and the Tau'ri. It's a funny thing, to wear clothes. But then, they've grown up with that cultural ideal. They've had the time to grow to it.  
  
The Bahro- what Yeesha called the Least- have yet to do such.  
  
The Bahro, unlike the occasional Link Weaver who meanders the city with their own tasks at hand, have many souls in Atlantis. But you hide. Your kind is not yet ready for this cultural mingling in turn, because you have nothing to offer in exchange. Your people have no identity from which to mingle. And so you sit, and you study, and you learn.  
  
There is no real need for clothing yet. Practically, clothes would serve you no better than your bare skin against your kind's claws, or the sharp, projectile weaponry the others use. The Tau'ri, the D'ni, the Tok'ra, the Jaffa, the Alternians.   
  
The idea of wearing clothing is a cultural one. They wear uniforms, and yet, they modify them with specific symbols and colors to signify rank, status, role, and profession. All so very different. All so... Unique.  
  
Were you to wear a uniform, you have no idea what you would put on it to make it your own.  
  
These people of Atlantis likewise use multiple forms of transport simply because they are different forms of convenience.   
  
They use Books to Link when convenience makes it so. They use some matter transporter to go from city to ship and back again. They use the Rings to go from planet to planet, and sometimes even use ships to go through the Rings! How curious and strange.   
  
Bahro and Link Weaver alike can link at will, doing many of these things without limit- so long as you can visualize where you are going.   
  
Very rarely do the Humanoids pick it up.   
  
Yeesha of the D'ni, mastering the power, and applying it to the Books. The one known as Phil Henderson, who uses books not out of necessity but out of show. A few of the D'ni of the Link Weaver's world-line know the skills as well.   
  
And then there is Artoria Gray, who gained the ability out of the Essence of the Universe itself changing to allow abilities similar to your own innate abilities.  
  
You like Artoria Gray, she is a kind girl with a warm heart. You rarely interact with her, but ADD's thoughts and feelings rippled through the community after he worked with her. When she spots a Bahro in the City, she always makes the effort to pause her day and greet you. Even when you hide, she does this. She can sense you in ways the rest of the City Cannot.  
  
There are others with the potential to learn these powers, though. Jade Jackson, and her alternate self, Jade Harley, have a form of Linking in the form of their zapping flashes. It's an inefficient method of travel- very energy wasteful. Too much is put into the flash rather than the teleport.   
  
Then there is Rose Lalonde whose powers verge close to that of the Rings- wormholes, they're called- this method of travel with a simple vortex of point A to point B.   
  
It is more efficient, and yet there is the problem of a void left behind with each jump. Air, rushing to fill the void.  
  
Some tutelage, and those girls could learn the ability to travel without notice.   
  
Then there is the Freeman, Gordon Freeman to be exact. He has the potential. He has the energy signature of one who has traveled through many worlds a great number of times.   
  
But he is emotionally not ready for such powers. He doesn't use the Ring as frequently as the others. He rarely, if ever, uses the matter transporters. He avoids the books unless necessary.  
  
He is content with slow and steady means of travel, and you cannot blame him.  
  
Not when the influence of one with powers similar to your own sends agents to destroy this city home.  
  
The matter of Gordon Freeman troubles you personally on a level that it does not yet bother most of the others.  
  
Oh, yes, they are worried about the Alien in the Suit with powers on a scale similar to your own. The ability to pause time, open portals to other places, and send agents to cause trouble...  
  
Your people on Atlantis have reinforced the City's AURA, to prevent him from penetrating into this City again. They find him to be the concern, the problem, the worrying issue that needs fixing.  
  
But you are Silvered Wing, and your mind focuses on something else. Your people are not a Hive Mind, and thus establishing a cultural identity is a slow and steady process.  
  
The depression, the slow and steady loss of life, that Freeman has shown since the death of the Agent Alex Vance is concerning.  
  
Others of Atlantis have noticed, especially Freeman's off-and-on mate. (And there's a curious topic for another time. They bond as mates, but never make it official. How strange.) But none have acted on that noticing yet.  
  
And so you keep your metaphorical eyes on him at all times. You say Metaphorical because that is what the Tau'ri say. You don't keep your Literal eyes on him at all times, that would be an invasion of privacy. But you keep a small section of your mind tasked on tracking his very obvious energy signature through the city, for notice when something goes wrong.  
  
Were others to find out, you are sure some would tease you over it, however...  
  
Tonight your paranoia benefits.  
  
Gordon Freeman let Miyu Shinohara into his room, tiredly, groggily. Low on energy. Low on life. Shinohara expresses her concerns, and Freeman dismisses them... before ultimately collapsing in the middle of his own room's doorway.  
  
Shinohara calls for help, and you answer, linking in and kneeling to check on his status.  
  
It is worse than you thought. There is an interloper clinging to his soul- his very essence, via a... a...  
  
A soul bond of some kind? An alien essence links this interloper to Freeman's... and it doesn't take you long to realize that it is the Agent Alex Vance. Even in death, her desire to see Freeman Dead is continuing on, even if by accident.  
  
...Did she not realize that were she to succeed in killing him that this same bond would eventually kill her as well?  
  
A single body cannot power two souls without proper installation.  
  
This... this is anything but proper. It is a bond that reeks of desperation. Of... Of.... You have not the term in your language, but the Tau'ri and Alternians have a term for it. NECROMANCY.  
  
Alex Vance once nearly died, and Freeman bound his soul to hers to save her.  
  
This is how she repays his life debt? You feel appalled, shocked, horrified. A thousand other words along those lines from the other cultures offer themselves up, but none satisfy the description of your current emotion more so than utter DISGUST.  
  
The bond is stealing resources from Freeman's Soul to try and maintain Vance's.  
  
Shinohara asks you, begs you, pleads with you to know what is going on.  
  
You take her hand, and place it on his chest, then with your hand over hers, you reach your free hand to your shoulder- to the symbol in your skin- and you link towards the one person you think could help.  
  
Artoria Gray.  
  
 _ **VRRMSSH...**_  
  
You startle her from her writing desk by arriving directly into her room, and you explain this situation to her quickly.  
  
Gray stares at you, then checks on Freeman to find the same thing.  
  
"What Bastards did this to them?" She snarls. Disgust evident on her face.  
  
"Did what??" Shinohara asks.  
  
Gray explains what you discovered, and the Disgust carries over.  
  
"We- We have to break that bond somehow! We have to stop it! We- We can't just let him die!!" Shinohara states.  
  
"If we break this bond, then Alex will die! Hell, the backlash might even kill HIM!" Gray says.   
  
"Fuck Vance! She's trying to kill Gordon!! I- I can't let her do that!" Shinohara looks to you and begs. "PLEASE! I'll do anything! You have to do something!!"  
  
Gray looks to you, and you see something in her eyes...  
  
She speaks to you through thought, _[I don't know how to do this safely. I'll follow your lead if you know what to do.]_  
  
You realize she likely thinks you're an elder. That you have experience. In truth, you came to her because you thought SHE had experience...  
  
But... No.  
  
You are young, and foolish, and reckless and--  
  
There is only one thing to do.  
  
 _[Bring an Exorcist,]_ you tell Gray. _[Megido will do. When I separate Vance's soul. Remove Her From This Cycle.]_  
  
Artoria Gray nods, and you take Miyu Shinohara's hands, and place them over Freeman's heart.  
  
You close your eyes, and focus power- chirping lowly, and then building up to a full on cry of power.  
  
And then you enter _his very Essence._  
  
 _Some of your kind might call it his Inner Mind, his very Soul, or his Mental Palace. You? You just call it the ROOT. The Root of the Tree that is Gordon Freeman._  
  
 _Past the death, past the fighting, past all of the horrors of Black Mesa, and City 17, and past everything else..._  
  
 _You find a moment that is the ROOT among the ROOTS. THE ROOT OF THIS PROBLEM._  
  
 _A moment of death and life wound into one._  
  
 _Deep in a ruined, underground mining facility, you find Freeman standing in a circle with creatures who- who- Who could very well be distant cousins of yours, in an inter-dimensional sense._  
  
 _VORTIGAUNTS, Freeman's mind identifies them._  
  
 _They glow purple as they cast their magic on the woman on the table between them..._  
  
 _Alex Vance._  
  
 _Wounded, near death, just as you expected._  
  
 _"Gordon?" Shinohara reaches out for Freeman, but he does not react. His mind is... elsewhere in this snapshot of frozen time._  
  
 _But where?_  
  
 _You search among the roots, and you find... You find the tendrils of a fungus interloping._  
  
 _You find HIM._  
  
 _The Alien._  
  
 _The G-Man._  
  
 _Except, it's not him. Not the real him. It's a figment, a fragment, a memory._  
  
 _And it's taunting Freeman with his failures._  
  
 _Shinohara does the hard work for you- she punches the Memory in the nose to establish superiority, and drags Freeman away from that place, back to the moment of the bond._  
  
 _The place where you can end this and save Freeman's life._  
  
 _"We have to stop this ritual," Shinohara tells Gordon. "She's killing you!"_  
  
 _"But... I have to save her, I promised Eli I'd take care of her- I-" Gordon stared at the girl before him, still as death, as are the Vortigaunts performing the ritual. "I owe him that. I have to try to save her. To keep her alive. I-"_  
  
[She is already dead,] _you remind him, then explain:_ [What is left of her soul is using this bond to tear your own soul apart.] _You look him firmly in the eyes._ [If we do not stop this ritual... then you yourself will die. What do you Choose, Gordon Freeman? **To Die, or to Live?** ]  
  
 _Gordon Freeman looks at Alex Vance, dead and dying..._  
  
 _Then he looks to Miyu Shinohara, alive and crying..._  
  
 _"...Like you have to ask. I'm going to **LIVE.** "_  
  
 _You nod, and reach out to the leader of the Ritual, placing a hand on this alien's shoulder, and..._  
  
 _Time resumes as you grab him firmly, intent on throwing him across the room into a wall._  
  
 _The other two Vortigaunts turn on you, eyes widening in confusion and horror- they're fragments of fragments, they shouldn't understand what's going on._  
  
 _...But they back away regardless- the purple sheen fading from their bodies as they realize that time is changing._  
  
 _ **"...We understand,"** the one in your grip states. **"This time... This Time, the Death must happen. The Alex Vance must pass on. The Vortessence... The bond... It will fade."**_  
  
 _And then,_ you're back in the Real Waking World as a soul bursts forth from Freeman's chest- purple and rage and screaming--  
  
And then Aradia Megido grabs her by the hand, and says, "No More. The fight is over now. It's time you went on to see your father, Alex. He's waiting with your mother. It's time you moved on."  
  
And then the purple spirit's rage soothes.... and then... fades away along with the rest of her.  
  
Freeman groans awake, and Shinohara holds him tightly as Gray thanks Megido for her work.   
  
You give a cursory glance to Freeman's vitals... and you see that he'll make a full recovery.   
  
He's chosen to live life, and to move on from the world that had used him so badly.   
  
You feel a certain emotion, and know a certain humanoid motion that accompanies it.  
  
You sigh in relief.  
  


* * *

  
  
The others, the Bahro, the Least, don't Question you about your act, save to question one thing...  
  
 ** _[What have you found about our kind by this act?]_**  
  
 _[About our kind? About We, who call ourselves Bahro in this moment of time?]_ you answer. _[I provided a Choice. I provided Mercy. I... I provided A Kindness.]_  
  
 ** _[Is that all?]_**  
  
You consider it heavily, then you answer further.  
  
 _[We were saved from our fate, and in turn, I saved another from his fate. The people of Atlantis have many words for this kind of act. They call it a "Rescue Mission." And so... I volunteer a suggestion to be put forth to our leaders. Our name, abandoning the moniker of Beast People, should be "The Rescues" instead.]_  
  
The others take note, and pass it along through to be taken up in a vote.  
  
There are other names to be considered as well. It's unlikely your title will be applied to your Kind as a whole... However...  
  
The Bahro, the Least... those titles no longer apply to you.  
  
You are Silvered Wing, and you are a Rescuer- you who were Rescued, and Rescue in turn. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up writing a hell of a lot more than I thought I had, and when I counted my buffer I was exceeding INTO three weeks worth of chapters! So I'm condensing it a bit and posting one of those chapters early!
> 
> That's today's chapter, by the way.
> 
> The main focus of this chapter is primarily an introspective look in the mind of one of the Bahro of Atlantis, Silvered Wing, who, go figure, is another reference to Last Exile: Fam the Silver Wing. This is just a Bahro version of Fam- as many other alternate selves of her have popped up in the series before- first as a Cla'dian, and later as a Fae Delivery Girl.
> 
> However, it does focus on the whole, yknow, Gordon Freeman was a part of a weird Vortigaunt ritual to save Alyx Vance's life in Half Life 2 Episode 2. Given similar events happened to Gordon and Alex in "the Epistle 3 timeline," I had to touch on that dangling plot thread a bit. I rewatched the scene and realized the Vorts' dialogue kinda heavily implied some kind of soul bond. Like. Uh. In retrospect that sort of thing can be *pretty dangerous!* 
> 
> Makes you wonder what the G-Man was telling Alex about killing Gordon that got her onboard with it. Probably was something along the lines of "I have severed that link" or whatever. Of course, that's assuming the G-man even picked up on it. It's entirely possible this Doc Scratch type Motherfucker wound up not realizing it would be a THING that would cause troubles and wind up killing Alex if she succeeded in offing Gordon.
> 
> Of course, the opposite could also be true in that he was leveraging the unlikely scenario that if Alex died so did Gordon eventually? But. Nah. I don't think he's THAT smooth of a backup planner. If you ask me, everything he's been up to since the whole Borealis plan got derailed has been kinda off the seat of his pants. ;)
> 
> But that's all basically speculation fodder, really.
> 
> And so I close this Bonus Chapter with a teaser:
> 
> Next Chapter: SGA: 05X09: Tracker Squared.
> 
> See you all Sunday/Monday.


	27. SGA: 05X09: Tracker Squared.

**EARTH DATE: JANUARY 11TH, 2004.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 07/23/0007.**  
  
You are Argo Lalonde, and it's just another day in Atlantis.  
  
"What's on the Agenda for today?" Woolsey asks as you approach in the hallways from breakfast to brief him on today's objectives.  
  
"Daedalus, Astro, and Delta are hunting the Galaxy for the Slayer again, and making supply runs," you report. "Doctors Keller, Mckay, and Ronon Dex are doing a Medical Follow-up on M33-985 for the flu-like virus going around. AR-9 is off on M34-226 guarding Fraiser and Minori while they do the same."  
  
"That seems... short?" Woolsey frowns. "is that it?"  
  
"Most Gate Travel across the Galaxy is still being limited to emergencies only given the Slayer's current unknown status," you answer. "We've had the occasional Gate explosion still, but they've been in pretty much in the same line for the time being. We think they're trying to repair the cannon and running test fires. Keiko would be handling the Trajectory Triangulation, but she's still on medical leave, sooo..." You check your files. "Looks like Callie and Dammek are handling that."  
  
"Good, hopefully the sooner we track down the source of these attacks, the better," Woolsey nods. "The IOA's breathing down my neck to get this resolved- while impeding it by saying all sorts of stupid rules of HOW we're supposed to resolve it. What idiots."  
  
"Agreed," you say. "if they don't want us working with Todd, then they really ought to approve more ships to come to Pegasus. That they're stopping us at the Daedalus, Astro and Delta like this is really annoying. We really could use some more ships, honestly."  
  
Honestly, you get the impression that the IOA would just LOVE it if you could pull this off with only ONE ship, and not even any of Earths or Alternia's, just because it'd be cheapest.  
  
Can't even field the AURORA, or ARGO, or even the TRIA because they're "needed" to "Guard" the Replicator Homeworld Research Base. Like anybody's attacking there, period.  
  
You arrive in the control room soon enough to hear Keller order, "Go ahead and dial, Chuck!" From the Gate Room.  
  
Chuck starts pressing buttons on the DHD.  
  
As has been happening as of late, there's a brief pause as the Gate activates to check for Attero Device interference.   
  
If it were detected, Callie claims her emergency shutdown program would safely cut the wormhole and disconnect the Gate before it could explode... Publicly, she refused to give you a percentage of how high a chance of success it is.  
  
Privately? She confided in you that it'd be atleast a fifty-fifty split that the energy build up would push past the point her program could safely shut it down faster than the readings could detect and shut it down.  
  
Scanning the local subspace around Atlantis can only get you so far, unfortunately. If the planet you're dialing to got affected by a beam, the energy could transmit back through the wormhole to your end.  
  
It's fortunate that it's only dialing Stargates that seem to be affected, but at the same time... Any stargate exploding is bad news.  
  
Lost in your thoughts, you miss Keller, Mckay, and Ronon step through the Gate, as well as Woolsey heading into the admin office without you.  
  
Good grief, you really lost track of time there for a moment.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Lloyd Armadn,and you catch Akita staring at the fancy bracelet she's had on since the City got attacked over Christmas for what feels like the hundredth time today alone.  
  
"Everything okay there, Akita?" You ask.  
  
"Yes and no," she frowns. "Sometimes, I get the feeling this Bracelet is watching me."  
  
"Watching you?" You ask, frowning. "That's... not good, is it?"  
  
"I only get idle curiosity, nothing feels malicious," Akita answers. "However... sometimes afterwards I notice it seems to regain some of its energy reserves for a time. Then it slumbers until I feel it watching me again. I think it's trying to recharge itself."  
  
"Didn't Cridea say that thing had a bad battery?" Maka asks, gazing at Akita's bracelet as well.   
  
"It does," Akita answers. "The power never seems to grow like it should be. It's almost as if it's sick."  
  
"The original is Furling Tech," Soul griped. "Or that's what they said back in the Rebellion. Wouldn't be surprised if whoever made that copy didn't have that distinction in mind and made a mistake somehow."  
  
"What, you think they put in the wrong battery type and THAT'S why it doesn't work?" Maka asks, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Soul shrugs. "All I'm saying is, that thing was meant to be one of a kind, and alien even for Alternia's techbase. Nobody really understands how it worked or why it did what it did. It seems pretty easy to me to have it break in stupid ways because whoever made it didn't know how it worked to begin with."  
  
"From what I understand of the Unending," you start, "that's pretty much the case. The person who creates a Phantasm like that has to have a pretty solid understanding of how the item you're making works, otherwise it's juts a hollow imitation. Even thinking that a bunch of silver paint on some plastic was actually silver metal could cause some problems with heat conduction, for example."  
  
"So what you're both saying is someone made knockoff jewelry, and went the cheap route for a knockoff, making even more of a bootleg than a knockoff already was?" Maka asks. "That sounds really stupid."  
  
"Does it even matter?" Akita asks, continuing to gaze at the bracelet on her wrist, holding it up into the air and turning it around so that the sunlight could gleam off of the gemstones. "It is what it is."  
  
"I guess not," Maka frowns.   
  
That's when Doctor Fraiser walks up to you four, frowning. "Excuse me, have you four seen Minori come by this way?"  
  
You frown. "No, we thought she was with you."  
  
"She was, then someone came up to her and said you'd found a sick patient that needed help?" Fraiser replies. "That's... not true?"  
  
"Damn it," Soul sighs. "I knew we should have stuck together better."  
  
You go for your radio. "Minori? Please respond."  
  
...  
  
...  
  
"Minori, please reply. What's your location?" You ask.  
  
...  
  
...  
  
"She might have turned her radio off, but why?" Fraiser asked.  
  
"This is starting to feel like a bad movie," Akita remarks.  
  
"Agreed," you grimace.

* * *

[ **O <\--- STARGATE ATLANTS --->O** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0K2bRdtGlg)

* * *

On M33-985, a similar story was transpiring, with Doctor Keller having vanished into thin air- kidnapped by a man named Kiryk who needed medical help for someone he cared about...   
  
But on M34-226, this was going on unknowingly at the same time Minori awoke from being stunned...  
  
"Oh, _fuck,"_ she swore, seeing that she was in a cave, with a growling, angry looking, very messed up looking Marvus.  
  
"Yeah, that's right," Marvus snarled. "I need you to do something for me. And Fast."   
  
"And what's that?" Minori asked.  
  
Marvus threw a large knife into the dirt between them.   
  
"I need you to cut a tracking chip out of my fucking chest," Marvus explained. "And you better do it before the Wraith or your team show up."  
  
 _"Oh. Fuck."_ Minori swore.  
  


* * *

  
Within minutes of each other on these two planets, Stargates opened, and small squads of Wraith exited each.  
  
Rodney Mckay had the unfortunate timing to realize this had happened, and took off at a run to escape one of the Wraith, which had spotted him and given chase.  
  
Within a few minutes of frantic chasing, Ronon would shoot it dead when Rodney and he crossed paths again.  
  
"It's a Hunter," Ronon deduced, staring at the dead Wraith. "Damn it."  
  
"But if we're dealing with a Runner, that means we miss tracking one down and removing their implant, didn't we?" Mckay asked.  
  
"Looks like," Ronon grunted.  
  
"Wh-what the hell are the chances of that?" Mckay asked again. "They must've... changed the subspace frequency when they realized we were doing that? It's not like we broadcast that we were doing that to anybody, though! Hell, we didn't even send reports to the IOA or let anybody on Bregman's Documentary team know we were doing it, so who could've--? Todd? Maybe? But why would he blab about that to the other Wraith?"  
  
"Hell if I know, but it doesn't matter right now anyways," Ronon answered. "We gotta get moving if we're going to find anything out, though."  
  
They kept moving.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your are Akita Red, and your ears flick as you pick up the sound of the Stargate activating, and some foot-falls in the forest.  
  
"We've got movement," you report. "Sounds like a small squad exiting the Stargate."  
  
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Maka laments.  
  
"Maka, stick with Fraiser," Soul starts. "Lloyd, Akita, go find Minori. I'm going to check the forest and see who's shown up. If we need to perform an evac, we do an evac."  
  
You all nod, and split up to go your separate ways.  
  
It doesn't take you long to pick up Minori's scent, and trace her to where she met someone who left very large bootprints in the ground.  
  
"Oh that's a tall person," Lloyd remarked, measuring the bootprints with the size of his own shoe. "A very tall person."  
  
You sniff the air for more scents. "I'm picking up what smells like grapes."  
  
"Oh god please don't tell me it's Marvus," Lloyd groans.  
  
"You realize now that there's a veyr high chance that it's-" you can't finish that sentence.  
  
Because Soul radios, hissing, "We have Wraith in the forest. Maka, Fraiser? Evacuate The Village. Now."  
  


* * *

  
  
Statistically speaking, the chances of two near simultaneous scenarios transpiring on the same day, in near the same way, for two completely different reasons is...  
  
Well, it's a very, very low chance of this ever happening at all. The fact that Marvus is involved, though, raises that chance to a nigh untenable 100% due to the fact that Marvus is a fucking Clown and as we all know by now, Clowns tend to just DO SHIT to causality that shouldn't ever happen.  
  
That two villages were safely evacuated? Nothing to write home about, really. But, the fact that Kiryk still managed to get his hands on a wrist mounted teleporter in this timeline after his tracker implantation despite Marvus doing the shit he did? A Statistical anomally to say the least.  
  
But sometimes there are just fixed points in these timelines.  
  
Such as Kiryk still taking on the same companion who got sick, and Keller talking about removing the tracking device from his back.  
  
...Much as Minori was doing to a very angry Alternian Clown using a knife she was sure would kill anybody else with how deep she was having to cut into a long healed over scar.  
  
But Marvus was a fucking Clown. And as we all know far too well, Alternian Clowns are damn near impossible fuckers to kill.  
  
You could take an assault rifle and riddle a clown over and over with bullets something like, ten times over, and the bastard still wouldn't die.  
  
Of course, we know what is behind that for trolls like Baizil or Trizza, Bracelet Shenaniangs and all, but for most other Alternian Clowns? Hoo. Yeah. They grow thick and hearty muscle-based armor, that's for sure.  
  
What I'm trying to get at here is that Marvus is built like a fucking TANK, and that the tracking device is burried so deep into his armor-like-flesh that Minori was going to have nightmares about this for years to come.  
  
People should not ever have THIS much Muscle mass on their bones, that is for sure a thing she was coming to realize right now. She wouldn't know about the problem she and Keler both were about to run into. Minori in the now, and Keller, hours later.  
  
Minori, ran into the same problem, only she didn't have a scanner to see the extent of everything that Keller would have.  
  
All she saw once she hit the tracking device was a glowing, scarab like piece of tech with tendrils of everything in place of legs, wrapping into the muscles she hadn't cut into. She had no way of knowing if they went further than that, but she feared that they did. (And Oh, Boy, did they extend farther than she could ever imagine.)  
  
She looked to Marvus, and asked him point blank what was to happen to her if she cut this thing out of her.  
  
If she did it, he would use her as a personal shield to distract the Wraith while he made a break for the Stargate, and he made it clear that he expected she'd die from it.  
  
If she didn't do the operation, he was going to kill her flat out regardless.  
  
Minori kept her mouth shut about speculating the extent of how far the thing had grown...  
  
And then she took the knife Marvus had given her and said she was going to try cutting it out, knowing far too well that this type of Wraith tech might very well kill the bastard... but then again...

He'd survived her cutting into his flesh THAT DEEPLY already. Surely he could survive what ever the hell this was going to do to him is she fucked it up, right?  
  
...That was what she told herself as she took the knife and cut into the device. If she was going to die either way... then what did it matter she did here?  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Lloyd Armadn, and you and Akita find Minori exiting a cave, with what seemed to be a dead Marvus inside the cave itself, covered in his blood.  
  
"Is he--?" Akita begins.  
  
"I tried removing the Tracking device he had in him, and it offloaded a massive surge of electricity directly into his brain," Minori answered. "His heart's still pumping though, and I think the tracker's still active. So, let's leave him to the Wraith."  
  
You have no arguments against that.   
  
"Let's get to cover," you say.  
  
So you take cover, and wait.  
  
The Wraith eventually arrive at the cave, and check its contents...  
  
They come out but a minute later, dragging Marvus behind them, clearly looking pleased.  
  
The wound on his chest was already visibly healing up.  
  
"...Something tells me they're not going to let him go again, are they?" Akita asks.  
  
"Probably not," you answer.  
  


* * *

  
  
Hours later, with the use of an Ancient Scanner, Keller saw that the tracker in Kiryk's back was less a single tracker and more a giant web of wires and tendrils all attached to his spine and brainstem and everywhere in the musculature of his back.  
  
Removing it seemed like a potentially fatal task she didn't have equipment to get rid of safely at the time.  
  
Decision to delay operation until later made, Keller was taken to the young girl who Kiryk had traveling with him.  
  
Her name was Celise, Kiryk explained, and that she fell, injuring her leg. He'd cleaned the wound best as he could, but as Keller rapidly noticed as he showed her the girl's leg, the wound became infected.  
  
She was young, so very young- younger than she was even in other timelines that this same event happened in years in the future from now.  
  
Kiryk needed a doctor to save her life, and not many doctors would help a Runner, or anyone associated with them.  
  
The sad fact of the matter was, Kiryk was the reason her village had been culled, and Celise had been the only survivor.  
  
Keller swallowed as she began preparing a treatment, and Kiryk went away to lead the Wraith tracking him away.  
  
And Keller thought, and wished, so desperately, that she had some form of power from Zillyum exposure that could let her solve this entire situation. If only Minori were here...  
  
Wait.  
  
...But if Keller didn't have any one dedicated power... maybe she could borrow someone elses? After all, some of the Fae powers were actual literal spells and could possibly... They might not need any one specific power set to- _'Oh! This could actually work!'_  
  
Once she cleaned the wound and did what she could the traditional way... Keller outstretched her hands, and desperately chanted a basic healing spell she'd heard Minori use time and time again.  
  
As it was, a faint soft golden glow wrapped around her arms with every word.  
  
She smiled brightly as she realized- it worked! It had worked! She'd cast magic! The girl's leg started to visibly recover!  
  
Keller stood and turned to call for Kiryk, only to see three Wraith at the entrance of the cave, closing in-  
  
Kiryk appeared from his teleporter, fighting off and killing two, before getting stunned with the third. His sword left lying on the ground, out of her range...  
  
Keller did the only thing she could do.  
  
She threw her hands up into the air and yelled for a fireball.  
  
Predictably, nothing happened from her panicked attempt to use magic.  
  
Unpredictably, however, Ronon's gun's signature PCHBWAM! took the Wraith out from behind.  
  


* * *

  
  
"So, we're going to do what exactly?" Mckay asks.  
  
"We're going to use a defibrillator on the tracker," Keller decides. "While he's unconscious. Then I can cast a healing spell and revive him if something goes wrong."  
  
"Since when can you cast magic?" Ronon asks.  
  
"Something like five minutes ago?" Keller offers with a shrug.  
  


* * *

  
  
Kiryk awoke gasping for breath, to the two vaguely concerned faces of Mckay and Ronon, and the very concerned face of Keller.  
  
"Oh thank god that worked," she exhaled.  
  
"What happened?" Kiryk asked.  
  
And so Keller explained about her plan to take out the tracking device and not having a lot of time to wait for him to revive to do it in before more Wraith showed up.  
  
They got on the move in a strange formation.  
  
Keller carried Celise on her back, Mckay took point, generating a shield around the group, and Ronon and Kiryk took to the sides- Kiryk borrowing Ronon's main gun and Ronon supercharging a backup with his powers.  
  
Together, the group of them made a desperate charge back for the stargate, blasting any Wraith or Wraith Darts that happened to cross their paths.  
  
After a while, they ran out of Wraith to run into, however.  
  
They wouldn't ever find out why. But that doesn't stop us from finding out.  
  


* * *

  
  
The Wraith hauling Marvus took him through the gate back to their stronghold, where another group of Hunters were set to go after Kiryk.  
  
They dialed their Stargate, and the last group went through... but the gate didn't shut down as it should have.  
  
The Wraith hauling Marvus paused, and turned to look at the Stargate, a sinking feeling in their hearts.  
  
And then the Stargate fucking exploded in their faces- instantly incinerating everything and everyone within a thousand miles or more.  
  


* * *

  
  
A Single Wraith guarded the Stargate, attempting to dial out to an address that just wasn't connecting. Much to the Wraith's growing frustration.  
  
"So, uh... chances that address he's dialing there just exploded via Attero?" Keller asked.  
  
"I'm gonna say very high odds," Mckay agrees after writing down the address. "Dammek and Callie will want to check it out." he then motioned to the two Ex-Runners. "I got what I need. Go ahead and blast him."  
  
Ronon and Kiryk did so, with extreme relish.  
  
The Wraith fell dead, two precise holes in very vital areas.  
  
"I need to get me a gun like this," Kiryk smirked.  
  
"Get in line," Mckay and Ronon quipped as they, as a group, headed to the Gate to Dial Atlantis.  
  
"What about the villagers?" Keller asks as Ronon starts punching in the address.  
  
"We'll wait a day, come back, and check for Wraith," Mckay decides. "If their home base did explode, they should be clear to come out."  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: JANUARY 18TH, 2004.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 07/30/0007.**  
  
Your name is Janet Fraiser, and you look up as Keller enters the infirmary, a pleasant look on her face as she greets,"Morning!"  
  
"Morning," you return.   
  
"How's our patients?" Keller asks, glancing around.  
  
"Celise should make a full recovery," you say, motioning over towards a curtained infirmary bed where the girl sat up, and looking happy to have some motherly attention as Jade and Teyla fussed over her. "As for Kiryk..."  
  
You stand up, and lead her over to another section of the infirmary.  
  
Kiryk lay in bed, unconscious, but the heart rate monitor beeped as stating he was alive.  
  
"We managed to get the last of the Wraith Tracker out of his back without much hassle last night," you explain. "He should make a full recovery, too, but we'll want to keep him under observation for a time."  
  
"Good," Keller nods. "What've we got about housing?"  
  
"Teyla spoke with the Athosians, and they're willing and able to take them in," you say. "You know, after everything we did cleaning up the people Medea mutated, New New Athos is rapidly becoming a new and proper settlement."  
  
"New New Athos?" Keller asks. "When did that become the name?"  
  
"Well, it can't be Athos, and it can't be New Athos," you explain. "And apparently Halling took a shine to the phrase, 'if at first you cant succeed, try, try again," so he got everyone onboard for calling the new settlement New New Athos to try and make light of everything for future generations."  
  
"I'm... what?" Keller asks. "Make Light of it?"  
  
You shrug. "I can only say what Teyla told me. You'd have to ask them yourself."  
  
She blinks, then turns to leave. "I'm... just going to check in on Celise then."  
  
"You do that," you nod.  
  
Then, you turn towards the Infirmary Office, where you find Minori working at digital paperwork- typing away at a keyboard without pause.  
  
"And how are you holding up?" You ask.  
  
"You mean beyond the fact that I lobotomized a man who was going to kill me if I did as he asked and took out the tracking device, and he wound up probably getting vaporized by Stargate Explosion?" Minori asked, not stopping even as she spoke. "Pretty well, actually. I actually haven't had bad nightmares about it. The Hunting Ground's taken priority. Shame, really. I was kind of hoping for something new."  
  
"I'm not sure whether to tell you to talk to Doctor Heightmeyer, or get a Moirail," you offer.  
  
"Doing both, actually," Minori answers- finally pausing in her typing. "Well. Sort of. Does talking to someone on the Unwritten over email about it count as having a Moirail?"  
  
"Not unless you've made it official," you say.  
  
She shrugs. "Then I guess I'll ask her if she's okay with that then. It's..." Minori spins around in her chair to face you. "It's... been nice to have another Fae to talk to who's got a different perspective on things. Everyone else I know who's willing to talk to me has been through almost all of the same shit I went through before coming to Atlantis. So... Refreshing? I guess? Is the word??"  
  
You nod, humming in agreement. "I can see how that works out."  
  


* * *

  
  
"Hey, Ronon, can I ask you something?" You are Rodney Mckay, and you and Ronon stand by a window overlooking the ocean.  
  
"Yeah, sure," Ronon grumbles out.  
  
"Do you... have any intentions towards Keller?" You ask.  
  
"What exactly do you mean by 'intentions' because that's pretty vague, Rodney," Ronon answers.  
  
"Like, Romantic intentions."  
  
"Oh. Yeah. No. Not at all."  
  
"What? Seriously?" you ask. 

"Yeah, Seriously." He glances at you. "What? This is a shock or something? Atleast pay attention to Freeman rambling the next time romance comes up."  
  
"...This has come up?" You ask. You usually tune the guy out anymore. His rants are just getting insane in length, truthfully.   
  
Ronon laughs. "No, I'm just messing with you." He pats you on the shoulder and turns to leave, whistling a tune.  
  
"...What the heck just happened here?" you ask, blinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. There goes Marvus. Brain shocked and then Gate'sploded. 
> 
> Not a whole lot to talk about this chapter. It's kinda over and done quick. Not exactly one I was looking forwards to adapting, really. Still. That's one dangling plot thread resolved, at least. 
> 
> \---
> 
> Next Chapter: SGA: 05X10: First Contact (1/2)
> 
> In which this Act's Summary scene *finally* happens.


	28. SGA: 05X10: First Contact (1/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1/2. Mid Season Finale. Atlantis launches a raid upon the enemies who stole the Sovereign Slayer; meanwhile, Daniel Jackson hunts for Janus' lab. Also, a Stargate Explodes.

**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 1ST, 2004.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 08/13/0007.**  
  
"Okay, so we've got the Daedalus, Astro, and Delta ready to fly and meet with Todd's fleet," your name is John Sheppard, and you list out everything you can in sequence. "We've got a rough idea of what solar system the Slayer Hijackers are hiding in, and we've got the element of surprise on our side to take them out before they blow up any more Stargates. Am I missing anything?"  
  
"Nope, we are good to go," Rodney says, "though, I have to ask why you're not taking me and Teyla along?"  
  
"Because Woolsey is tagging along for some gods-forsaken reason, and decided Argo and Keiko should be in command of the place until we get back. And with Keiko just coming off of med-leave, and being thrust into this position, I have some legitimate concerns about her over-stressing herself again so soon," you say. "So, if some situation pops up, god forbid, and Keiko starts stressing out about it, I need my best people to keep things running smoothly. That means you, that means Argo, that means Teyla, and everyone else I've tasked on this."  
  
"You're only going to be gone for, what, a day? Two tops?" Rodney asks. "What could happen in that amount of time?"  
  
"I don't know, Rodney," you say. "Just don't blow up the City! That's all I ask!"  
  
"Like that's going to happen," Rodney scoffs.   
  
"Attero. Device," you stress.  
  
"...Okay, okay, fine," He holds his hands up. "I promise that as long as I'm in the City of Atlantis until you get back that I will avert any and all explosive activity."  
  
"Good," you say. "Oh, and check in on Jade, Thor, and Doctor Jackson, would you? If they're looking for Janus' lab still, they might find the control crystal for the original device. Make SURE it gets destroyed if they find it."  
  
"Got it," he nods. "Destroy the Attero Device Control Crystal."  
  
"Thanks," you smile, and head on your way.  
  
Your name is John Sheppard, and despite all the precautions you're taking, you can't shake the feeling that you're in for a VERY long day.  
  


* * *

  
  
[ **O <\--- STARGATE ATLANTS --->O** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0K2bRdtGlg)

* * *

You are Keiko Ayano, and you breathe in and out as you sit behind the main desk of Atlantis' Admin office.  
  
Woolsey's changed things around since you last sat behind this desk. Since everything went sideways with the Apollo and the Replicators and---  
  
You close your eyes, and try not to think about it. You try to put thoughts of that nature behind you and bottle it up and-  
  
 _Hand placed on right shoulder._  
  
You open your eyes, and see Argo staring at you. "Are you okay, Keiko?" They ask.  
  
"I think so," you nod. "Just... memories. Trying not to think about them. Why am I doing this again?"  
  
"Couple of reasons," Argo frowns. "What did Woolsey tell you?"  
  
"Just that I'm to hold down the fort while he goes along with the combo-attack against the Slayer-Thieves," you answer.  
  
"Well, there's a bit more to the mission than that," Argo says. "Woolsey's meeting with Todd and some other heads of his Wraith Alliance to talk about ways of spreading along the Retro Virus deployment against the other larger Wraith factions."  
  
"You'd think they'd all be dead by now," you grimace. A thought nags at you, though. "Why are we keeping this hush-hush then?"  
  
"Officially, the IOA's ordered against any of this current mission- Retrovirus or teaming up to defeat the Slayer thieves," Argo answers. "Woolsey wants someone they can't remove running this place if they boot him."  
  
...  
  
"Me?" You ask, staring at them for a moment.   
  
"Yep," Argo nods their head. "Given, uh, the whole Admin Access thing? We're pretty sure you could lock this whole city down and there'd be no running it if the IOA tries anything."  
  
"But I'm horrible at running this place!" you start, but Argo cuts you off.  
  
"Another reason is that this is really more a test for me to see how well I'm running this place on my own," Argo coughs, fakely. "Ahhem. That is to say, we realized the IOA never once looks at ME as someone to replace as long as I stay in the Assistant Role. But the truth is I've mostly been running Atlantis' day to days since near the end of Jolinar and Sam's time here. So we're hedging our bets."  
  
"Someone the IOA knows could lock the City down entirely, and can't be removed, plus someone who actually does all the hard work? That's..." You blink. "Thats kind of clever, really. But... what about the Medical Leave I took? Isn't that a black mark against me?"  
  
"I asked Doctor Fraiser to write it down in the reports the IOA would see as 'Enforced Time Off' to let you decompress before you started training work on 'taking over' the City," Argo answers. "We were going to tell you sooner, but, we didn't want you stressing out over it during your break. Then this whole meetup happened sooner than later, and, well... Things are moving faster than we expected. So... Uh. I'm literally telling you about this at the first chance we literally have."  
  
You sigh. "Gee. Thanks."  
  
"You're welcome," Argo winces. "Though I really do wish we'd had more time to prepare for this ahead of time."  
  
"It happens," you shrug.

* * *

  
  
"I think I've got something."  
  
Your name is Jade Jackson, and you look up from your work looking through the Atlantis Database, then kick-wheel your chair over to your Dad's place in the room.  
  
A moment later, Thor wanders over.   
  
"What is it?" You ask.  
  
Daniel starts reading, "So, we know Janus was doing a lot of work that wasn't approved by the Lantean Council, so, while he never talked about it in his entries, his peers mentioned many times that they thought he had a "bastion of unfettered thought and experimentation." Or, as one of his lovers put it—"  
  
"Wait, Janus had Lovers?" You ask, a little squicked out by imagining it.  
  
"'An isle of solitude within the city walls,'" Daniel continues. "Now none of these other Ancients had any idea where the lab could be, but, one of his young assistants recalls a day where Janus turned a corner down a hallway."  
  
"'Today, I saw Janus in the hallway!'" Mckay says, suddenly entering the room. "Now there's a page turner. Did I miss anything yet?"  
  
"Hi, Rodney, Just getting to that," Daniel says, then explains, "He chased after him with a question about his work, but when he rounded the corner, Janus was gone. The hallway was a dead-end. He had seemingly disappeared, and I think, into his secret lab."  
  
You all share glances with each other.  
  
"Did the Assistant happen to mention which hallway?" Thor asks.  
  
"Yes, he does," Daniel says. "Let's just bring up the map and compare directions and..."  
  
You blink. "Well, that's just great. Of course Janus' lab would be on the lowest levels of the City far and away from even the nearest Transporter."  
  
"Sounds Secret lab-y enough to me," Mckay says.   
  


* * *

  
  
"Okay, so, that's everything prepared," your name is Jennifer Keller, and you finish packing up a Captchalogue card. You slide it out of your Sylladex and hand it to Doctor Fraiser. "Good luck out there with everything."  
  
"Thanks," she smiles. "I think we'll need it."  
  
And with that, Doctor Fraiser turns to leave, giving you the infirmary to mostly yourself.  
  
Kanaya is working on some paperwork on a laptop, and Minori is tending to poor Chuck who tripped down the stairs this morning and twisted his ankle.  
  
That's when Freeman comes limping into the Infirmary.  
  
"Gordon! What the hell happened?" You ask, noticing how he's clearly favoring his left leg over his right.   
  
"Freaking Gina thought since I bonded to her Morpher Project, that she could have me run through all the test trials and shit," Gordon shakes his head. "Which involved shooting at me with a fuck ton of tennis balls out of a baseball hopper!"  
  
"Oh good grief," you lament. "Take a seat and I'll get you under a scanner."  
  
Some days are quiet, but crazy, and you relish them for their rarity when they happen, because it sure as hell beats dealing with an over crowded infirmary.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Is this a water line?" Daniel asks, glancing a flashlight around a dark and unlit corridor.  
  
"Yeah, this section of the city flooded the first year we were here," your name is Rodney Mckay, and you glance around. "We ended up salvaging intact and moved it to the main tower for use or put it in storage."  
  
"Well, it's certainly remote," Jade says. "I'm not even sensing any active power conduits except for that wall over there." She shines her flashlight over towards a wall.  
  
"You can sense that?" Thor asks.   
  
"Eh, kinda," Jade shrugs. "You get a sense for these things after dealing with the Unending's alt-memory bleed. Some other mes were a lot more powerful than I am, and I'm pretty overpowered, so..."  
  
You all move towards the wall in question.  
  
"Empty sockets," Daniel stares at one of three identical holes in the wall.  
  
"Looks like a run of the mill light sconce interface," you say, frowning. "Hold on, why are THOSE getting power when even the ceiling lights in here aren't getting power?"  
  
"I was wondering that too," Jade frowns. "We shut down power to this section of the city cause we weren't using it to save energy, so... Why's this wall getting power?"  
  
"Janus, obviously," Daniel surmises. "So... where's the Sconces?"  
  
"Scavenged if they were intact," you snap your fingers. "Back to my lab, and we'll turn power back onto this section of the city while we're at it."  
  


* * *

  
  
It doesn't take long for the lot of you to start searching through camera footage taken of the City during the time shortly after everyone arrived in Atlantis.  
  
"Here!" Jade points at one image. "That's the hallway. Let's see what we can see."  
  
You zoom into the image and pan around...   
  
"There," Daniel says. "On the floor. There's our light fixtures."  
  
"They must've been knocked loose during the flood," Jade guesses.  
  
"Were they salvaged?" Thor asked.  
  
"Well, they were lights that fell to the ground during a flood," you frown. "It's probable they did get damaged, but... well. You never know with Ancient tech."  
  
"Let's check it out," Daniel says.  
  


* * *

  
  
Across the city you go to the storage room. And thus, you find the sconces in a storage case.   
  
Then, you head BACK to the Hallway, and plug them into the wall.  
  
"Ow," Jade winces with each one, her doggy-ears flattening against her skull as tight as they'll go. "Fucking sconces are harmonic!"  
  
"Even I heard the tones," Daniel says. "They don't usually do that, do they?"  
  
"No, yeah, That's pretty unusual for a light sconces," you frown, gazing at the three. "Damage from the flood, maybe?"  
  
"I do not believe so." Thor says. "It is likely to be a puzzle mechanic."  
  
"What, like a three digit code?" You ask. "That's not very secure, is it?"  
  
Daniel says, "Well, Janus's assistant said he disappeared pretty quickly down the hallway, so it can't be a long code. Maybe it's just as simple as three tones in a row?"  
  
Daniel taps one of the sconces, and Jade whines as it hums.   
  
"That's definitely not normal," you say.  
  
"Okay, I'm backing out of here until you're done with that," Jade says. "It's making my ears ring. Radio me when you've got it solved. I'm going to report back to Command that we might have something."  
  
Daniel and Thor take turns attempting short codes with the sconces, and you examine the hallway, giving it some thought.  
  
Sconces that give off loud, harmonic resonances? Something dogs would hear more than humans is... Well, that speaks to something techno-intentional, so maybe...  
  
 _Dooon. Duuunn. DNNNN._  
  
Waiiit a second.  
  
You look at the hallway, and walk along it, retracing Janus' steps...  
  
So if he walked by the sconces then--  
  
Oh.  
  
OH.  
  
You touch a wall at the dead end, pressing a hand against it... It feels....  
  
It feels sort of--  
  
 _Dooo_ ** _Duuu DNNNNNNNNN!!!_**  
  
\--You fall through the fucking wall. "WOAHOOF!" And hit the floor of a dark room.  
  
It takes a moment before Thor and Daniel enter the room, and help you to your feet.  
  
"What was that?" Daniel asks.  
  
"Controlled Magnetic Harmonic Resonance," you answer. "That wall was specially designed to destabilize when bombarded with a specific tone of harmonic resonance."  
  
"Ah, the Tones," Thor nods. "The Magnetic properties is what keeps the door from dusting itself."  
  
"Like a hologram, except better," You agree. "Solid wall, not a door like you're expecting."  
  
"So... did we make it or...?" Daniel gazes around, you do as well...  
  
...Consoles, lights, and all sorts of things turn on, revealing it all before you.  
  
"Well, consider THIS lab found," you grouch, as you gaze around the moderately sized room full of Ancient tech. "Seriously, Janus? Couldn't give us a hint of where to find it first?"  
  


* * *

  
  
Unseen, a device began to blink red as it activated a subspace link.  
  
And off in another part of the galaxy, one of the HEV Suited figures looked up, and turned towards someone else to say, "Alert the Others. The Device has been activated."  
  


* * *

  
  
The Daedalus continued on course to its destination through Hyperspace, the Astro and Delta Megaships trailing behind it.  
  


* * *

  
  
"So, what's Woolsey working on?" Ronon asks, glancing across the cafeteria at the Expedition Leader furiously scribbling out something on a yellow notepad.  
  
You are John Sheppard, and you chuckle. "He's writing a speech to greet the Wraith with. I don't see it going well with Todd."  
  
"Mind Reading, right," Ronon smirks.   
  


* * *

  
  
You are Tyzias Entykk, and you step through the wall with a wince. "Wow. That Harmonics thing really messes with the ears, doesn't it?" Oddly, though, the actual inside of the Lab is quiet. Sound proofed, somehow?  
  
"Yeah, it's neat, but Janus really didn't think about what that'd do to people with higher ranges of hearing," Mckay says, peering at an Ancient Terminal from a desk chair he'd brought in.  
  
"What happens if the sound goes off while you're inside the wall?" You ask, glancing back at the wall you just stepped through as you walk over to him.  
  
"Well, one of two things, really," Mckay glances up. "Either it'd force you through into the lab in one piece or you'd get stuck inside the wall and torn apart at a molecular level. So... Uh. We set up a sub-sonic tone generator outside. That wall is stuck open for as long as we want it to be."  
  
"I'd noticed the generator," you say. "Sort of constant A note?"  
  
"Yeah, it's annoyingly pleasant to us normal eared folk, but slap on dog ears or cat ears or what have you and suddenly you've got half the base complaining about this pier being a headache to be around," Mckay shakes his head.  
  
"Yeah. Annoying that. So, uh, what do we have?" You ask.  
  
"The good news is that this is definitely Janus's secret lab," Thor says, turning away from a large screen. "The bad news is getting in was the easy part."  
  
"We've, ah, gone through everything that's been left out," Mckay says. "No sign of any Control Crystals, though. So maybe we figure Janus hid the Attero Control Crystal inside of something else? But we have no idea what in here is what, and his files are on isolated servers with layers and layers of data encryption that even the most paranoid NSA agent wouldn't use. I mean, it is deep. To say the least."  
  
"Some of them are ordinary Math Ciphers while others are Ancient Knowledge Puzzles," Thor explains, moving to sit over on a chair near you and Mckay. "We have begun working through these ciphers and puzzles, however, even the intelect of the Asgard race falters in comparison to some of these Conundrums."  
  
"So Janus was a paranoid jerk who outdid even the Asgard, basically," you summarize.  
  
"Essentially," Thor nodded. "Yes."  
  
"Which is frustrating because Janus told Daniel to look for a Control Crystal in his Secret Lab, and here we are, not able to FIND a Control Crystal, and unable to get into his computers. I mean..." Mckay snaps his fingers. "Ruby! What was that metaphor you used earlier?"  
  
Ruby Branwen pops out from behind the back side of a computer terminal- the green tech orb A.M. perched on her shoulder- and chipperly states: "Janus is just as paranoid as Guild Master Kadish was when he built his secret treasure vault!"  
  
"Yes, that," Mckay says.  
  
"Secret treasure vault?" You ask, raising an eyebrow. "Wait. Isn't that Kadish the guy who wrote the Age Joey went to and Yeesha instanced so the DRC could have infinite funding?"  
  
"You should see the other age he had written," Ruby shakes her head. "Ahnonay. What a weird ass place. Dude went and faked time travel to claim to the masses he was the Grower! What an idiot."  
  
"Which as we all know our dear friend Joey Claire ended up being, somehow," Mckay waves it off. "Anyways, point is. Kadish and Janus were probably cousins in terms of Interdimensional Paranoia. We're going through Janus's puzzles in two ways, one the straight forwards idea- Thor's handling that- and one going about it ass backwards as if it was a distraction- and that'd be me on the code front. Ruby's looking for physical workarounds built into the tech."  
  
"So, Control Crystal hidden inside something that's not obviously a Control Crystal," you summarize.  
  
"Exactly!" Mckay snaps his fingers.  
  
"Well, I guess I'd better go back and tell Keiko what's going on," you say. "Radio if you make any progress."  
  
"Will do," Mckay waves.  
  
You turn to leave- and pause. "Wait. Where's Daniel? I thought he was helping with this?"  
  
"He went to check on Jade about an hour ago," Ruby answers. "Said he'd be back in the morning if we hadn't figured it out yet."  
  
"Ah, gotcha," you nod, and leave.  
  


* * *

  
  
The Daedalus and company exit Hyperspace, settled next to a small group of Wraith Hiveships- one of which was the shockingly new MAGNUM type. But this isn't too much of a surprise, given Todd had radio'd ahead about it.  
  
Apparently, one of the unknown Wraith Faction had come after one of his Hiveships with a Magnum, and promptly had its crew Retro Virused because they'd neglected to implement their anti-beaming protocols into their new fancy ships.   
  
How exactly TODD then used Beaming tech to get a canister of Wraith-to-Human Retro Virus onboard was something he'd been tight lipped about. It stunk of a cover up, if someone asked you.  
  
"Sir, we're being hailed," Marks reports.  
  
You are Colonel Stephen Caldwell, and you nod. "Open a channel." A pause, then, "This is Colonel Caldwell of the Earth ship Daedalus. We're ready to receive delegation."  
  
 _"The delegation is on their way,"_ A Wraith replied.   
  
"Marks, you have the bridge," you say, "I'm going to go meet our guests."  
  
The following interaction was amusing, with Todd pre-empting Woolsey's planned speech by saying, "Ah! What a wonderfully crafted piece of Script Work, Woosley! But a shame we don't have time for it today. We have discussions to make before the rest of our attack delegation arrives."  
  
It doesn't take long for you to remember who's still missing from this party. The Travelers plan on joining the fray- one of their first attempts at building a settlement recently was scuttled when one of their scouting parties never returned from a planet. When a ship went to investigate, they'd found a smoking crater centered over where a Stargate should have been.  
  


* * *

  
  
 **EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 2ND, 2004.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 08/14/0007.**  
  
Out in the cold reaches of space between galaxies, a tear in space time opened akin to a white door leading to nothing.  
  
The G-Man stood at it's entryway, and gazed out left- towards Pegasus- and right- towards the other galaxies and the glowing rift of light between them.  
  
And then he stepped inside, and wheeled a large device out from the expanse within. He double checked his alignment, and then with a nod, set it to activate.  
  
A beam of red shot out across the expanse between Pegasus and the other Galaxies, darting out far, far, far, far far, far, far far far far far far FAR into space...  
  
Where it ran into another doorway, and the beam collided with the back of the machine generating it, creating a self perpetuating loop.  
  
The G-man adjusted his tie, and then turned towards one of the suited figured waiting next to him. "You... may begin your _Op-_ Peration."  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Rodney Mckay, and despite how tired you feel and how much you YAAAWWN.. Urhg. You still feel like you've almost got this...  
  
Still, you and Thor are the only ones left working.  
  
"You know, it is almost dawn," Thor began. "I can continue working for some time more before requiring sleep. If you wish to-"  
  
"No, no," you wave his concerns off. "I'm fine. I think the sleep deprivation's helping because I'm actually making progress on some of this shit. Finally."  
  
Thor hums in consideration. "An interesting paradox. I have not made much progress at all."  
  
"I think the less you think about these puzzles as Janus being a scientist and more about him being a dick with an ego the size of a star?" You chuckle. "It starts making sense. Like, the solution for puzzle 23- it's actually Negative Sixteen."  
  
"What?" Thor asks. "That makes zero sense at all. The instructions state that negative numbers are not allowed."  
  
"That's because Janus was being a fucking Dick to his fellow Ancients when he made all this stuff," You say. "No wonder the bastard didn't tell us anything more. Dude couldn't resist being smug over all this stuff one last time."  
  


* * *

  
  
The sun was just barely to the point of peeking over the horizon- the night sky had begun to lighten slightly to the point the stars were invisible, but it was still quite dark out.  
  
Then, the ocean began to tremble, and depress as if being pushed down by--  
  
A Tear of green space time appeared in the form of a Hyperspace window above it, sea water went flying in all directions, and then-- one of those scaled up Puddle Jumper like ships exited hyperspace- the window snapping shut behind it as the vessel rocketed towards the City of Atlantis.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Morning, Chuck," you are Amelia Banks, and you enter the Control Room at the start of your shift.  
  
"Morning," Chuck greets, eyes deep in a book- "The Martian General's Daughter" by Theodore Judson- with his feet on a console.  
  
You're just about to settle in when a console beeps- and Chuck sits to attention, book falling to floor. "Hyperspace Window just opened in Atmosphere!"  
  
"What?" You ask. "Who's crazy enough to do that!?"  
  
"Not the Daedalus, unknown IFF," Chuck reports. He goes for the Radio, and taps. "Argo Lalonde, Keiko Ayano. Sorry to wake you, but we need you in the control room ASAP."  
  


* * *

  
  
The ship skirts along the ocean, drawing closer and closer to Atlantis.  
  


* * *

  
  
Keiko rushes in, dressed in a hastily thrown on night shirt and what seems to be Mallek's swim trunks. "What's going on?" She asks, arriving to the sound of the City Shields raising.  
  
Argo is already there, wearing a fluffy green bath robe. "We're tracking a small ship in atmosphere," they say. "I've already ordered Jumpers scrambled and shields raised, but it'll be here in about ten seconds."  
  
"Here it comes," Banks states, gazing at the screen, showing a rapidly approaching dot...  
  


* * *

  
  
The alien ship passes through the shield without harm, and moves towards one of the furthest points out on the city, a certain pier.  
  


* * *

  
  
"That's impossible," Banks says.  
  
"Holy shit, it just passed through the shield like the Jumpers can," Argo swore. "Is it Ancient?"  
  
"Get me Lorne, Teyla, and a squad of Marines," Keiko decides. "I'll meet them where these bastards are landing."  
  


* * *

  
  
The ship hovers over a pier, as a piece of armor near the front opens up, revealing a glowing disk of light, from which three suited figures drop down from, landing on a balcony.  
  
From there, they head inside, and begin marching towards an unknown location. Each one has a large metal plate on their back.  
  
As they find their location, they kneel, and place the plates together, forming a circle. One takes a small device and attaches it to the center, twisting to turn the whole assembly on.  
  
The Aliens step onto the platform as Keiko's team arrives, raising their rifles.   
  
"DON'T MOVE!" Keiko calls out.

A forceshield rises up, and, the whole assembly suddenly goes DOWN.  
  
Keiko's team never gets a chance to fire.  
  
They rush over to the sudden hole in the floor, and peer down.  
  
The hole goes down, and down, and down and... Oh, boy, someone's peering upwards at them from at least five floors down.  
  
"Instant disintegration," Keiko swore.  
  
"Sure hope nobody got caught in that," Lorne griped.  
  
"What's at the bottom of this tower?" Teyla asks.  
  
A pause, then they start running for the Transporter as they realized what was down there.  
  
"It's Janus' lab," Keiko swore. Going for her radio. "Rodney, this is Keiko, come in!"  
  
There's a pause, then, _"What's up?"_ Rodney asks, unconcerned.  
  
"Seal the lab NOW!" Keiko orders.  
  
 _"What? Why should-"_ And then the line goes static with a flare of energy and the line goes silent.  
  
"We have to hurry!" Teyla says.  
  
Transporter time- everyone funnels in- flash- funnels out, runs down the hallway, and arrives in time to see one of the suited aliens holding up a force field, blocking the entire hallway, while one of them carries Mckay and Thor unconscious over their shoulders, and the third has a large box like device in hand.  
  
"Open fire!" Keiko yells.  
  
They fire on the force field, but by the time it collapses, the other two have reactivated their force-field-elevator, and ascended back up the way they came with their looted cargo...   
  
And by the time the shield drops, and the suited alien gets thoroughly shot to death, the shielded elevator platform has ascended out of the tower and back into the modified Ancient ship, and Hyperspace jumped away.  
  


* * *

  
  
"[Is it alive?]" Your name is Raddek Zelenka, and you stare at the suited alien lying on the floor.  
  
"[You tell me,]" Keiko says, glancing at the presumably dead thing.  
  
You run a scanner over it and mumble. "Oh that's just cheating."  
  
"[What is it?]" Keiko asks.  
  
"[I'm not getting any coherent readings like with Joey Lalonde's Civil Protection Suit. But It may work if we put it under a scanner,]" you report.  
  
"[Alright, let's get it done,]" Keiko nods. "[Someone get a gurney!]"  
  
You glance upwards at the hole in the ceiling and... Oh. is that sky up there? You think that's actual sky.  
  
"Oh, that's going to be a pain in the ass to fix," you remark. "What the hell could cause that?"  
  
Keiko doesn't reply, gazing down the hallway at the Janus Lab doorway.  
  
"[...Is it true?]" You ask. "[Did they take Rodney and Thor?]"  
  
Keiko nods, mumbling a "yeah."  
  
"Oh, lovely. Absolutely lovely. Sheppard's going to blow a gasket when he finds out." You pause. "[Has anyone contacted the Daedalus yet?]"  
  
Keiko shakes her head. "[We've tried, but we can't reach any of the ships that went out that way. Broadwaves aren't reaching them for some reason.]" She frowns. "[Also, we've lost contact with Earth and Alternia, too. The signal's not reaching out right. And the Linking Books are going kinda staticy too...]"  
  
"[Bad Wifi Connection?]" you ask. "Ah, but the books are a bad problem too. Last time they went bad like that was the laser array the Replicators shot at us. But if we're not being targeted by one then why is it not working?"  
  
Keiko gives you a small smile, then says, "[Intentional Interference is pretty likely. We have D'ni techs working on it, but they can't get a broadcast working again from our end. It could be the relay station on Midway, but... ]"  
  
"[Why would it go out?]" you ask.   
  


* * *

  
  
The G-Man opened two more portals, one through which an unconscious Thor and Mckay were pulled to be dragged through to the other, on the world where the Attero Device was held.  
  
They'd be waking up soon enough, but time was of the essence.  
  
The G-Man observed the device with the blinking light on it, and nodded in confirmation.   
  
No words were exchanged as the giant red laser device continued to loop upon itself, creating just enough subspace distortions to keep the D'ni subspace tech from  
connecting between galaxies.  
  
He had no idea, of course, that the beam's very presence, let alone the subspace distortions it caused, were rippling further out into history than could be expected to cause some problems further down the line.   
  


Not that he would be there for it, of course.

* * *

  
  
"They knew exactly what they were looking for and where it was," your name is Argo Lalonde and you gaze after the Alien as it's wheeled into the infirmary. "And there's no way this was a coincidence. We finally discover Janus' lab and not even a full 24 hours later they take two people AND a device? They didn't waste any time, and went for it."  
  
"I've got Zelenka and Tyzias checking the subspace transmitter for any signals it might have been broadcasting," Keiko says. "Because how else could they be so precise?"  
  
"Whatever it was they took- no, fuck that noise. It's gotta be the Attero Device Control Crystal, somehow-" you shake your head. "It had to be transmitting, and had to have turned on when Rodney fell into the room."  
  
"The sudden loss of transmission from Milky Way and Alternia and the Linking books going on the fritz happened just a minute before those aliens showed up," Keiko nods. "And that it's still running means they have to know that something is going on."  
  
"Has Gray had any luck linking around?" You ask. "And if not, what about any Bahro or Link-Weavers who're probably hanging around?"  
  
"Haven't seen or heard from any of them in a while," Keiko frowns. "As for Gray, i haven't talked with her today yet. I think she might still be in bed, actually. It's only, what? Five A.M.?"  
  
"Fair enough," you nod. "I'll see about getting her team up to speed. You stay here and supervise cutting into that suit if the scanner doesn't work."  
  


* * *

  
  
And then you are suddenly Keiko Ayano, nodding as you say, "Got it," and Argo turns off to get their stated tasks done.  
  
The scan runs, and Keller glares at the machine after. "Oh you piece of shit garbage technical piece of junk! Work damn you!"  
  
"Ah, it's no good," Zelenka sighs. "The suit is emitting some sort of E.M. field that's disrupting the scanner. I have no idea how to shut it off. It's worse than the Civil Protection Suit, really. More closer to Freeman's old HEV suit, really."  
  
"So, we're left with nothing left but cutting into the suit, huh?" You ask.  
  
"Do you think there's a human underneath all that armor?" Teyla asks. "Or what of a Wraith?"  
  
"Hard to say," Keller scowls. "For all we know it's a robot."  
  
"One thing's for certain, it's not technology we're familiar with," Zelenka shakes his head.  
  
"Yay for first contact," you sigh.   
  
"So... cutting it open?" Zelenka looks to Keller.  
  
"You get the power saw, I'll get a laser sword from Cridea's room," she quips.  
  


* * *

  
  
"You ever wonder about how life works out?" Cridea asks, watching out into space as the wait for the Traveler's ships continues.   
  
The Daedalus, Delta, and a buncha Wraith Hiveships wait nearby.  
  
"Eh?" Your name is Joey Claire, and you ask, "How's that?"  
  
"I mean... we were just fighting one of those Magnums not, what? A few months ago?" Cridea asks, motioning out the window. "And here we are working with a stolen one, waiting for the Travelers to show up so we can go launch an offensive against the people with one of OUR stolen ships before they can go blow up more Stargates."  
  
"Ah, yeah, one of THOSE moments," you nod. "Gotcha. Yeah. It is kinda funny how it all works out."  
  
"Mmhhmm," Cridea nods.  
  
"Hopefully we won't be having any sudden and dramatic reveals, this time," you say. "I'd rather not find out Doc Scratch is back from the dead, for example."  
  
"Oh, Glub, wouldn't that be the worst?" Cridea asks.  
  


* * *

  
  
 ** _ZZZZNNNNKTH!_**  
  
"Ach! It's no good!" Zelenka huffs as he gazes at the diamond bladed power saw he was just using. "I just dulled out the blade."  
  
"Diamond tipped, too," you are Jennifer Keller, and you wince. "I don't want to know what happens when we try a Laser Sword against that armor, though."   
  
"The neck, then," Keiko decides. "We cut into the neck. Softest part by far, looks like."  
  
"Yeah, okay, but I'm not trying it," Zelenka backs away.  
  
"Yeah and I'm not qualified to use a Sword," you say. "Laser or otherwise."  
  
"I'll do it," Minori says, offering her hand.   
  
You give her the laser sword, and then back away.  
  
Minori ignites the blade, and carefully lowers the sword towards the rubber looking neck plating.  
  
 _ **SSSIIIZZLLEEEEE!!**_

"I think it's working!" Minori starts.  
  
Then, Zelenka yells- "Stop!"  
  
Minori stops the sword, and that's when Zelenka points at a blinking light on the breastplate of the armor.  
  
"OUT! NOW!" He yells.  
  
You all run for cover into the corridor outside and then---  
  
 _ **KABOOOM!**_  
  
"Everyone okay?" Keiko asks.  
  
There's a bunch of yeses and such... Then, you gaze back into the infirmary, and don't bother suppressing the wince.  
  
"Ah, hell. Janet's gonna be pissed when she sees what we just did," you lament at the smoldering remains of no less than three beds.  
  
"Somebody really wanted to keep whatever was inside that suit a secret," Minori observed.  
  
"[Understatement of the century,]" Zelenka said something you didn't catch. "[Oh, if only it were a proper bloody mess instead of an ashen mess. Then we could run DNA tests.]"  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Rodney Mckay, and you come to consciousness to the sound of Thor trying to talk to someone about seeing a Manager, while you're being carried by both arms it feels like.  
  
You're fully awake when you get thrown into a lab's ice cold floor, and you watch a suited figure place a device from Janus' lab onto a control console of Ancient Design, and orders- "Get the Device Operational."  
  
"We do not even know what it is," Thor protests.  
  
The Suited warrior turns and leaves without another word- the doors sealing shut and-  
  
"Oh, great," you lament, noticing the lack of door controls on this side of the door. "They removed the door console."  
  
"Where are we?" Thor asks.

"Lantean Archetecture means Secret Janus Facility? Probably the Attero Device facility, given everything we know's been going on," you gripe, getting to your feet and examining the thing from Janus' lab. "Oh, great. How is this BOX a Control Crystal, Janus!? Is the whole thing a control module? Oh fucking great. Couldn't even tell us it was a Control BOX. Noooo! Had to tell us it was a Control CRYSTAL! Fucking smug ass idiot! These are two very distinctly different things!! One is a Crystal! One is a BOX!!"  
  
"...So it is likely we have no means of immediate rescue," Thor surmises.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, probably," you frown. "No, what's worse? I bet I know exactly where we are."  
  
"And where is that?" Thor asks.  
  
"M6H-987." You answer, "The planet we triangulated the Sovereign Slayer's laser blasts coming from the last few blow ups."  
  
Thor's eyes widen as he processes that. "As in- the planet that the Daedalus, Astro-Delta, Travelers, and Wraith allied fleet are currently moving to intercept and destroy?"  
  
"Exactly that," you say.  
  
"That is not good," Thor says.  
  
"Understatement of the century, captain obvious," you groan out. "They probably won't even know we're here when they come trying to blow us up."  
  
"We cannot activate the Attero Device if that is what this facility is for," Thor says.  
  
"Yeah, I KNOW. But do you think they're going to give us a choice?" You ask.  
  
"I am more concerned with how they got us to this planet so fast," Thor says. "The others should have arrived here before us unless they encountered an unexpected delay."  
  
"Yeah, something tells me that they ran into something big, alright," you gripe, sighing. "Alright. Let's see if we can figure out what this place is, though, uh, chances are it really is what we think it is, but better safe than sorry. How's your Ancient?"  
  
"Likely far better than yours," Thor jokes...  
  
Wait. That was a joke, wasn't it?  
  
"Was that a joke?" You ask.  
  
"It was meant as an attempt at humor, yes."  
  
"Oh, lovely. Great. Thanks." You move to turn on the control console.  
  


* * *

"We've got five jumpers in the air, flying a defensive formation around the city, and have the chair fired up and ready for you at a moment's notice," Banks reports.  
  
Your name is Keiko Ayano, and you nod. "Thanks. I want marine details every five levels, locked and loaded, ready for my go ahead, just in case." Even if you don't predict a follow-up attack.  
  
Banks walks away with a nod, and you head over to Zelenka and Tyzias. "Any luck?"  
  
"Well," Zelenka begins, "I'm using the work of Lazlo Babai as a stepping stone. You know, combinatorics and um... no offense, but the math I'm using is so complicated I don't know if I can dumb it down enough for it to make sense. But anyways, the, ah, idea is. I've been going over our recorded subspace logs, and I'm trying to extrapolate the single thread that will lead us to the area of space associated with the device."  
  
"And?" You ask, a little impatient.  
  
"I think we're looking generally at the direction of space that the Daedalus and Astro-Delta went to," Tyzias says. "But there's no telling if it's the exact planet or just near it, just yet."  
  
"Keep me in the loop," you say.

They nod.  
  
You head back to the Admin's office, and find Mallek there.  
  
"How's it going?" He asks.  
  
"It's chaos," you say, running your hands through your hair. "How about you?"  
  
"You realize you haven't gotten changed since this morning, right?" Mallek offers, decaptchaloging a pair of uniform pants and your jacket.  
  
"Argo's been running around in a Bath Robe all day," you say, taking off the bullet-vest you've been wearing since the earlier encounter, and putting your jacket on. "I think we're in a state of emergency right now and that can afford not wearing everything we could?"  
  
You shuffle on the pants over the borrowed swim trunks and making sure everything's settled right before holding out a hand.  
  
Mallek hands over a card, and you swap its contents (A proper uniform shirt and underwear) for the night shirt and trunks you hastily put on this morning. Then, you hand the card back.  
  
"Thanks," you say.   
  
"You're welcome," Mallek nods.   
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Jade Jackson and you wince as Argo's bathrobe hits the floor outside the bathroom. You kneel and grab it to put it properly in the hamper while Argo gets dressed.  
  
"So. Uh. Have we gotten a message to the Daedalus yet?" You ask.  
  
"Not yet," Argo growls out. "Fucking stupid- Just! Keep Cassie and Lizzy as far away from Stargate Ops today, okay?"  
  
"Why? Do you think things are going to go bad?" You ask. "Are we going to get attacked?"  
  
"I don't think we'll get directly attacked again," Ago answers, stepping out of the bathroom dressed in shorts and a jacket vest, hair wet and roughly combed into place. "But I think the Attero Device is probably going to get activated. Galaxy. Wide. Gate. Explosions. I know we have backup plans in place but fucking hell, I just- I want to make sure that our kids are nowhere near that if it happens."  
  
"You know, I could probably stop a Gate Explosion if I had to," you say. "Just... casually toss the Stargate up into-"  
  
"NO!" Argo shakes their head. "I don't- Just! Jade! Please. Just keep our kids as far away from the central tower as you can today, alright?"  
  
You swallow, and nod. "I'll go get Dad and we can try and finish decoding things in Janus' lab. Or something."  
  
Your ears may protest, but, eh. It shouldn't be too bad.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Uhoh," Thor speaks quietly.  
  
"Uhoh?" You are Rodney MCkay again, and you gaze over at the console Thor is looking at. "What kind of Uhoh?"  
  
"This Facility is tapped into the planet's crust for power generation," Thor reports. "There are sizeable deposits of a unique formulation of Naquadah within the crust going down for miles. However, current energy outputs are far in excess of what was recorded in Janus' day."  
  
"Don't tell me," you groan, hanging your head. "Naquadria?"  
  
"Energy output spikes seem to coincide with the Zillyum Rift opening," Thor answers. "It seems that the unique formulation of Naquadah began a conversion process towards Naquadria when exposed to Zillyum. What is more, there is some strange subspace energy transmission that started shortly before our capture that has started to destabilize the Naquadria further by increasing its power output higher. A series of unfortunate coincidences, it seems."  
  
"I asked you not to tell me," you sigh. "But that tracks anyways. Of course they'd need a lot of power for what I'm seeing."  
  
"Don't tell me," Thor quips in return, "The Attero Device?"  
  
"Yeah," you say. "Pretty damn much."  
  
The notes spell it all out for you, as if you didn't already know. Different Hyperdrives run on different frequencies and technological premises.   
  
Wraith Ship enters Hyperspace? Ship goes boom. Basic premise of the Attero Device.  
  
This is the facility, alright. And with Naquadria ramping up the core...  
  
"Oh this could be very bad if we turn this on," you say.  
  
"Indeed," Thor says. "This system is designed to draw only a specific amount of power to generate a specific amount of subspace static to generate the instability in the Wraith Hyperspace windows."   
  
You carry from there, "But we know that it's attuneable to create static in other Hyperspace tunnels, like the beams sent after the Apollo and the Astro and Delta Megaships. And if they've modified this Attero Device to also affect our drives at the same time it's affecting the Wraith Drives... And then if you pour Naquadria into the equation instead of Naquadah?"  
  
"The System will be unable to generate the proper amount of Subspace static, let alone to the specific frequencies required," Thor continues. "Infact, it very well may generate layers of Subspace Static that are in excess and are in frequencies that affect other Hyperspace technology beyond that of the Wraith. And there is no telling how that may also affect the Stargate network."  
  
"This could affect anybody with a Hyperdrive in Pegasus," you state.   
  
"Worse, I fear that the Naquadria enhancements could push the device's range out beyond Pegasus," Thor says. 

"You think this could hit Milky Way and Pegasus?" You ask.  
  
"Indeed," Thor nods.  
  
"Hence, 'Uhoh'?" You offer.  
  
"Hence, 'Uhoh.'" Thor nods.  
  
"Well, we can't turn this on," you motion at the device. "We have to convince them not to do this."  
  
"I can work on Reasoning with them," Thor says. "However, you must find a means of destroying this device in a permanent manner."  
  
And so as you work on figuring out how to disable all of this, Thor attempts and attempts to open communications... and finally gets a suited alien to enter to listen.  
  
"We believe that due to circumstances that changed during the time since this facility was last operational, that the power core running this facility is running in excess of the range it can safely operate in," Thor begins. "If we activate the device, this planet may explode-"  
  
 _ **Explode!?** _Well, way to sell the danger to them in a way that's more immediately relevant, you guess.  
  
"And even if it does not, we fear that the Device may affect more than the Wraith Hyperdrives, including the drives onboard any Hyperspace capable ship within this galaxy, as well as affect those beyond it." Thor continues to lay it out. "If the device did function without exploding the planet, its range may likely stretch to many galaxies beyond, affecting them, as well as their Stargate Networks, resulting in an uncountable number of casualties."  
  
The suited figure remains unmoved, emotionally speaking.  
  
"I understand that your people may not care about the lives of this Galaxy lost to your war against the Wraith, however that does not absolve you of the lives you may slaughter when taking this risk." Thor narrows his eyes, very much the negotiating commander of the Asgard Fleet that he has always been.  
  
The figure finally says, "We do not use the Stargate Networks."  
  
"Yes, you may not, but many more do in countless other galaxies, and if this device's range is pushed beyond-" Thor is cut off as the suited guy raises a gun and aims it at you.  
  
"Get the device operational within one hour, or I will kill him."  
  
"Do... you not care?" Thor asks. "About the sheer magnitude of lives you may be about to ruin?"  
  
"We have taken precautions to ensure the energy does not spread beyond Pegasus," The suited warrior says, then repeats the demands. "Get the device operational within one hour, Or. I. Will. Kill. Him. Do you understand?"  
  
"We understand," you say, very meekly.  
  
The suited figure leaves.  
  
"...Well, so much for reasoning with them," you say.  
  
"Why the suits?" Thor asks.  
  
"What?" you ask.  
  
"We are not in battle. Originally I thought it was an encounter suit for collecting us, however they continue to wear it." Thor frowns. "It seems to be a hazardous environment suit of some kind. Perhaps they cannot live in this atmosphere?"  
  
"Maybe we should add it to the list of things that have nothing to do with getting us out of this alive," you say. "Also. Explode? Do you really think that the planet may explode because of this?"  
  
"Were there a Stargate on this planet, I would recommend dialing a Nine symbol address for sufficient energy draw," Thor says. "Beyond that... those Suits may be the key to figuring out who we are dealing with."   
  
"Oh, lovely," you say, and going to a console. "Well, you work on understanding them, I'll work on trying not to get us killed while shutting this whole thing down!"  
  


* * *

  
  
"Got something?" You're Keiko again, and you head to Zelenka and Tyzias' terminal.  
  
"Yeah, M6H-987," Zelenka says.   
  
"Seriously?" You ask.  
  
"Seriously," Tyzias nods. "We're about 80% sure, but that's already 100% more of a coincidence than we're comfortable with."  
  
"Alright, it's our only lead for now," you say. "Daedalus still out of comms range?"   
  
"Unfortunately so," Zelenka nods. "And the rendezvous point with the others isn't even near a Stargate."  
  
"Okay, we've got to assume that if they aren't already on their way we've got to get there on our own," you say. "Where's the closest stargate? We're going to have to get a Jumper to gate over and fly towards that planet as soon as we can. Hopefully we can contact the Daedalus with a boosted subspace communicator and warn them about what's going on."  
  
"Give me half an hour," Tyzias gets up from her chair. "I'll boost the transponder as best as I can."  
  
"In the mean time," you turn to Banks. "Any luck clearing up the subspace interference?"  
  
"No," Banks shakes her head. "Worse, the longer it's going on, the more messed up our Attero Wavelength scanners are getting."  
  
"So you're saying if we dial that Stargate we'll have no way of knowing beforehand if it's going to explode?" You ask.  
  
"Pretty much," Banks nods.  
  
"Oh fucking fantastic," you grouch.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Rodney Mckay, and you gaze through a window into a door into a sealed room with an antenna array in it.  
  
"So that main chamber houses the subspace antenna," you point into the room.  
  
"And it harnesses the static into subspace," Thor nods.  
  
"Well, it will once we light it up," you say.  
  
"Already?" Thor asks.  
  
You head back to the consoles. "Well, it wasn't broken. Janus just shut it down. All we need is a basic understanding of Janus' coding style and, uh, the ATA Gene. So... Theoretically we're ready to roll whenever."  
  
"The longer we prolong this the sooner we have a chance for the others to find us," Thor says.  
  
"Not really?" You frown. "By my watch an hour's almost up. Either we set this thing off now, or... I get dead."  
  
"But the others-"  
  
"Look," you say. "They should have been here by now. Something's gone horribly wrong."  
  
"We will no doubt be adding to their troubles if we engage this device," Thor says.  
  
"That's if they haven't been intercepted already," you say. "We're going to have to take the risk that this thing explodes on us rather than does what it wants to do."  
  


* * *

  
  
"Something's wrong," your name is John Sheppard, and you're scowling out into space. "The Travelers should have been here by now. Something has to have gone wrong."  
  
"Indeed," Todd grunts. "It is not like them to skimp on the commitment given one of their scouting parties was affected by this."  
  
"You don't think they ran into another exploding stargate, do you?" You ask.   
  
"It's likely," Todd frowns. "But... Why not contact us?"  
  
"Worst case scenario is they can't," you frown. "We should reach out to Atlantis to make sure they didn't receive a message or something."  
  
"Would they not forward it to us if that were the case?" Todd asks.  
  
"I'm worried something else might be going on," you say. "Something's not right about any of this."  
  
That's when a call comes over the Daedalus' speakers, and Woolsey requests Todd to the bridge. An incoming communication from one of Todd's ships.  
  
"More trouble," Todd hums. "The timing couldn't be worse."  
  


* * *

  
  
"Well, here we go." You say. "It, ah, was an honor working with you."  
  
"Indeed it was." Thor nods.  
  
Then, you press a button.  
  
The machine powers on, and giant sparks of lightning zap about the chamber in there.   
  
"Well, we're still alive so no earth shattering explosion yet," you're Rodney Mckay, still, miraculously.   
  
"The time to explosion may be hours from now, but if the energy levels spike high enough..." Thor's cut off as two suited figures enter the room and-  
  
 _ **STUNNED!!**_  
  


* * *

  
Woolsey hands Todd an ear piece as you and he enter the bridge.  
  
"Here, you have an urgent message from your hive," Woolsey says. "I assumed you'd want to take it privately."  
  
Todd takes the radio. "Go ahead.... Very well... Permission granted... I shall remain here."  
  
He hands the radio back.  
  
"Everything going okay?" Caldwell asks.  
  
"One of our facilities is under attack by a rival hive," Todd answers with a grunt. "Ones equipped with these Magnums as escorts. One of our support ships and our own pilfered Magnum must depart for battle. We will wait here until we hear back from Atlantis about the status of our missing companions."  
  
"Alright then," you say. "Let's get on that and we'll-"  
  
That's when two flashes of green and red outside of the Daedalus bridge are accompanied by the very wrong sensation of subspace rocking beneath the fabric of reality.  
  
Everyone rushes to the window.  
  
"What the hell?" you stare at the two debris clouds of former Wraith Ships. "The Attero Device??"  
  
"Impossible," Todd stares. "The Magnum's Hyperdrive was calibrated against such a device and ours were modified in the opposite direction to--" he stops. "Check Your Hyperdrives, NOW!" He orders.  
  
There's no debate. All ships are checked...  
  
Impossibly, every ship's onboard computer is encountering the sensor array error of "Unstable Subspace" and refuse to engage the Hyperdrive for safety reasons, even when cycled through multiple subspace window configurations.  
  
"That can't be possible," Woolsey starts. "The Attero Device only functions based on one Hyperdrive frequency at a time, doesn't it? It can't target ALL subspace frequencies at once? Can it??"  
  
You look to Todd, and he grunts again in displeasure.  
  
"Unless our Unseen Enemy modified it first," Todd says. "In which case, we may have discovered why the Travelers have not arrived yet."  
  
"You think their ships got shattered like..." Woolsey gazes out the window. "Like that?"  
  
"I need to contact my fleet," Todd says. "We need to find out what the status of the rest of the Galaxy is. And I need to warn them to not travel through Hyperspace for the time being."  
  
He gets his radio, and after a short series of communications, one of Todd's Hiveships sends out an encrypted data burst.  
  
"There," he says. "My people are now warned: The Attero Device is active. May whatever gods smile upon this Galaxy help the rest to survive until it is disabled."  
  


* * *

  
  
You are now Argo Lalonde.  
  
"We're all set," Tyzias says to Keiko as she, Teyla, and AR-9 group up outside of a modded Jumper. "Chuck will dial M5Z-338- It's the closest in range to the planet- and the plan should work from there."  
  
"Thanks," Keiko puts a hand on his shoulder, then nods to you. "Try not to blow up the place while I'm gone."  
  
"Oh, please," you shake your head. "Good luck."  
  
"Thanks, we're gonna need it," Keiko says, and they head into the Jumper.  
  
You and Tyzias head down into the Gate Room.  
  
"What's the subspace status?" you ask.  
  
"Interference dipped about five minutes ago, but it's stabilized out back to where it was before the dip," Chuck reports.   
  
"No way to tell if the Attero Device is active or not?" You ask.  
  
"We've got no idea for sure," he answers.  
  
Coin flip time, Argo.   
  
Heads or Tails. Dial or not.  
  
Fuck it. If you don't do it now, you might not get a chance to later.  
  
"Dial the gate," you order.  
  
Chuck starts dialing.  
  
 _ **KAWOOOSH!**_  
  
An alarm immediately sounds.  
  
"Ah fuck," Tyzias laments, moving for a computer.  
  
"Uhoh!" Zelenka startles.  
  
"Shut it down!" You order.  
  
"That's what that alarm was for!" Zelenka says. "The Gate didn't automatically shut down and we have a power spike in the event horizon!"  
  
"Callie's program didn't work?" Tyzias asks.  
  
"It failed to execute due to the rapid spike in power, it's trying and failing again and again," Zelenka says. "I'm trying additional circumvents but-!"  
  
You don't need to hear more.  
  
You go to the City intercom. "Attention everyone, EVACUATE THE MAIN TOWER NOW. Get to the furthest edge of the City that you can! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!" Then you turn to Tyzias, "Colapse the City Shield around the Stargate. Now."  
  
She starts the work on that.  
  
Keiko, Teyla, and AR-9 exit the Jumper bay.  
  
"Attero overload?" Keiko asks.  
  
"Unfortunately," you lean over Zelenka's shoulder. "Can we ride it out?"  
  
"No, the power spike is building too fast, the Gate is almost certainly going to Explode," Zelenka answers.  
  
"Will the shield around the Gate keep us safe?" You ask.  
  
"I have no way of knowing that for certain, Director Lalonde," Zelenka answers. "The 'gate exploding is the equivalent of a dozen nuclear explosions. The shields could fry out before all the power is contained."  
  
"How long?" Keiko asks.  
  
"About ninety seconds," Zelenka answers.  
  
"I'd say closer to now!" Tyzias calls out. "And Shield!!"  
  
The keen of the City shield cries out, a dome of silver starting to raise above the gate.  
  
"Critical Limit in Three--" Tyzias calls out.  
  
"Two--!' The bubble is completed just in the nick of time.  
  
"ON--"  
  
 _ **FWABAWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!**_  
  
And then a Miniature Sun replaced the Stargate in the Atlantis Gateroom.  
  
 _"DON'T LOOK AT THE BLAST!"_ You order.  
  
"Diverting power to the shields!" Zelenka reports. "Trying to block more radiation..."  
  
The light lessens to the point you all can mostly see without frying your eyes.  
  
"Now what?" Keiko asks, moving to stare at the Stargate.  
  
"The shield continues to diffuse the energy of the blast. Every second it is contained within the shield, the explosion gets weaker," Zelenka answers. His computer beeps, though. "Oh No."  
  
"What is it?" You ask.  
  
"The shield needs atleast another minute to contain the full brunt of the explosion but it's frying out the emitters and power conduits across the City. I don't know how much longer we can keep the shield up!"  
  
"I want non essential personnel to evacuate to the outskirts of the city NOW!" You order.   
  
"Argo," Teyla begins.  
  
"Teyla, go," you say. "You too, Keiko."  
  
"Like hell-" She starts-  
  
"No! All of you except me and Zelenka, GO. NOW." You yell. "That's an order!"  
  
As everyone moves to leave, you focus on the Stargate, and WILL the shield to work longer. You focus on TIME, and BUY SOME MORE...  
  
Rule Breaker pulses slightly from somewhere below and to the left of you...  
  
And then the forceshield around the gate flashes TIME RED as the explosion dwindles from bright yellow to a darker orange.  
  
"How's it going, Radek??" You ask.  
  
"It's going down! It might be enough! The shield emitters are holding even if they're taxing...!" Zelenka looks up. "I think we might just make it!"  
  
Then, you hear a crack- and you glance at the shield and see your Red Time Stop fracturing.  
  
You let your control slip for just a moment too long.  
  
"Oh Fuck," you swear.

* * *

[The bright light from the shielded explosion can be seen from all directions as one looks up to the Stargate Control Room.](https://youtu.be/b85ErE44VAs?t=165)  
  
And then, it suddenly isn't there, because the glass windows are blowing outwards and smoke is flying out in all directions.  
  
The shockwave shakes Atlantis, and in the ocean, waves tremble out in circles around the city...  
  
The Shield had Colapsed.  
  


* * *

  
**TO BE CONTINUED.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahah. Hahahahahahahahaha.
> 
> Boom.
> 
> This is one of those moments I've been itching and waiting FOREVER to adapt. Ever since I first brought up the Attero Device, I've had this episode in mind for the long game and- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!! X33
> 
> Oh man, it feels so good to have gotten it covered and adapted finally.
> 
> All the build up, and despite all the planning... The Gate STILL EXPLODES!!!
> 
> Haaaaaaaaaaah....
> 
> \---
> 
> Alright, that's enough of that relishing. Major changes from canon, Daniel working with Jade and Thor and Mckay on the Attero stuff. Thor being taken instead of Daniel, annnd... Oh, yeah, Sheppard's stuck on the Daedalus along with a bunch of Wraith who know they didn't get betrayed this time.
> 
> Todd's also up to something, it feels like, but he's being so nice an amicable it can't be anything bad! Right?
> 
> \---
> 
> I think the episode really speaks for itself, all things considered. Man, it sure would suck if this had wound up as a Friday chapter, wouldn't it? XD I made sure that didn't happen this time. Waiting a few months for the next episode was near about torture to find out what happened when it originally aired. 
> 
> I wonder what the word count'll be? It's probably going to be something absurdly large and for that I apologize in advance >_>;;;
> 
> Er... No, it can't be in advance cause this is at the end of the chapter. What the heck am I even saying??  
> \---  
> Next Chapter: SGA: 05X11: The Lost Tribe (2/2)
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and enjoy the conclusion of this two parter to come. X33 I sure had a Blast Writing It! :D :D :D


	29. SGA: 05X11: The Lost Tribe (2/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conclusion. Atlantis' Survival of the Stargate Exploding leaves them, and the rest of the Galaxy, in a precarious position.

**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 2ND, 2004.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 08/14/0007.**  
  
A nearby speaker suddenly bursts out with Argo's voice: _"Attention everyone, EVACUATE THE MAIN TOWER NOW. Get to the furthest edge of the City that you can! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!"_  
  
"Oh no," you whisper.  
  
Your name is Jade Jackson, and you gaze upwards and out towards the center of the city from the fishing platform Jimmyy and Morgan usually fish at.  
  
Right now Callie and Roxy are here with you, and they look with you. Casey lies in a portable crib, and Lizzy...  
  
"Whats going on?" Lizzy asks, gazing up at the Central Tower from her place on your lap.  
  
"Please, No," you whisper.  
  
"Oh god," Roxy starts. "Could the Gate have-?"  
  
"It hasn't yet, but-" Callie starts.  
  
"No No No No!" the only thing keeping you here is-  
  
A gleaming flash of light bursts forth, illuminating the Control Room area.  
  
The gate is Exploding.  
  
You can FEEL it's radiating energy from here.  
  
"Oh my God," Roxy swears.   
  
"Oh no," Callie covers her mouth.  
  
"Roxy, Callie, keep an eye on the kids," you hand Lizzy to Roxy and take off before they can protest.  
  
You're going to run for a transporter, but you're so far out that you know you won't make it. You're going to have to tele-   
  
The flash of light flares and is gone and then the shockwave HITS, sending you to the ground in a tumble.   
  
By the time you get back to your feet, it's over.  
  
You're gazing at the City's central spire and the windows are all gone and smoke is pouring into the air.  
  
"NO!" You yell, and-  
  
 **FLICKER.**  
  
 _ **ZAP!!!!**_  
  
Instantly- you arrive next to Teyla and Keiko as they're trying their radios to get in contact with Argo and Zelenka- NO NO NO NO- and shockingly, so does Rose, along with Kanaya.  
  
"What happened?" You and Rose start at the same time.  
  
"Teyla!" Keller runs up to you, Minori trailing behind. "How many were up there?"  
  
"Two!" Teyla answers.   
  
"Minori! Kanaya! With me!" Keller orders. "Let's get searching! Show me where!" She asks of Teyla and Keiko, who lead the way.  
  
You don't bother arguing, and neither does Rose, you just follow.  
  
You enter the Gate Room- it's dark. Impossibly dark. The kind of dark that comes from an explosion scorching a room black, with only the light from outside the broken windows pouring inside.  
  
Flashlights barely make a difference, but keep the stairs visible as Teyla and Keiko take you to the Control Room.  
  
Everything is a mess, sparking, flaring, broken, turned over and knocked over and and and and-   
  
"They were right here when I left them," Teyla starts.  
  
"If the explosion was hot enough there might not be-" Kanaya cuts herself off. "Did you hear that?"  
  
You listen- and you hear it, groaning coming from the Admin office- ARGO!!!  
  
You rush that way faster than any of the others and there you find Argo, orange wings flexing out with neon light as they groan in pain.  
  
"ARGO!" You cry out, moving to help them up and find that they'd pushed Zelenka to the ground and had covered him with their wings.  
  
"We nee't'ake'over," Argo mutters, confused.  
  
"Are you okay?" You ask and- God, no, they're NOT. There's glass everywhere in their back and- and- AAAAAHHHH!!!  
  
"Huh??" Argo asks, blinking, eyes flaring neon in mismatched patterns.   
  
"Argo? Zelenka? Are you alright?" Keller's there, and then Kanaya, and Minori and--  
  
"I... Ears," Argo answers. "Can't hear so well. Think I got glass in my back too."  
  
"ShitShitShitShitShit-" you barely pay attention as Keller and Kanaya move to help Argo out and away from the wrecked office.  
  
"We lost the Stargate," Zelenka mutters as Teyla and Minori help him up. "We lost the control room. That's bad. That's very bad."  
  
"But we did not lose you, and that's good," Teyla says.  
  
A hand on your shoulder, and you jump.  
  
Rose. Rose is looking at you with concern in her eyes.  
  
"Go," Rose says. "Be with Argo. Keep them safe. Keiko and I can handle things from here."  
  
"O-Okay," you nod, and go be with your Sprite, because goddamn it you can't not feel upset right now.

* * *

[ **O <\--- STARGATE ATLANTS --->O** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0K2bRdtGlg)

* * *

You are Keiko Ayano, and you're surprisingly in command mode right now.  
  
You look to Teyla and Rose, and order, "I need Banks and her team to set up an auxiliary control room below the damaged areas. We need to find a way to contact the Daedalus."  
  
"I'll get on that," Rose nods, heading off.  
  
"How are you holding up?" Teyla asks.  
  
"Surprisingly solid at the moment, just glad nobody's Dead," you exhale sharply. "We got lucky. Extremely lucky. From some of the reports I've heard, the explosion happened much faster than we processed it in the tower."  
  
"Argo was buying us time without realizing it?" Teyla asked.  
  
"And then bought us more of it stabilizing the shield," you say. "We're lucky it's just the control room. That could have been all of the city in a moment's notice without us realizing it."  
  
"I still do not understand why the Gate failed to shut down," Teyla frowns. "Wasn't Callie's program supposed to stop it?"  
  
"There was always a chance it could fail," And then Callie comes this way, along with Roxy. Lizzy's ridding piggy back on Roxy's back and and Casey's held in his arms. "Especially," Callie swallows. "Especially if the energy build up was faster than we could stop it before it left the safety margins."  
  
"What I want to know is why we didn't pick up the Attero Device subspace distortions," Roxy frowns. "Didn't we put something like that in place?"  
  
"We've been out of contact with Earth and the Daedalus due to subspace distortions since just before those aliens showed up," you answer. "They did something to make it do that so we couldn't detect the Attero Device wavelengths, I'll bet."  
  
"Doctor Mckay and Thor were likely kidnapped for this very reason," Teyla says.  
  
"We're sitting ducks," you say. "We just have to hope that the Daedalus and their attack crew manage to get to the planet and soon."  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Joey Claire, and you clench your hands into fists. "And you're sure about this?"  
  
"Yes. Unfortunately, we're not going anywhere," Stelsa shakes her head. "Every hyperspace window frequency we're trying to modulate to is giving us an error message."  
  
"How the hell does That happen?" Cridea asks.  
  


* * *

  
  
"From what we're able to tell, whoever's behind this either figured out how to reboot the original Attero device, or modified the Sovereign Slayer to blast the entire galaxy at once," your name is John Sheppard, and you're debriefing everyone on the Daedalus as best as you can. "In the process, whatever they're doing boosted the signal to hit just about every known type of Hyperspace window imaginable, and NOT just the Wraith's."  
  
"Which is unfortunate for us, because it means that no ship we have available will be able to move freely through Pegasus until the device is deactivated," Todd grouches. "We're stuck in space, and even if we had a Stargate near by, using it would be suicide."  
  


* * *

  
  
"Okay, what are our options?" your name is Tyzias Entykk, and you cap your marker as you turn towards the assembled science teams. "What can we do from Atlantis to shut this thing down?"  
  
Gordon Freeman raises his hand, and speaks, "Create a Space-Time Bridge and punch a hole into a reality where the Attero Device isn't functioning so we can travel to where the Attero Device is so we can punch a space-time bridge back to our reality and shut it down?"  
  
"That's actually a lot better than what I had in mind," Morgan Carter says after a moment.   
  
"And what's that?" You ask.  
  
"...We wait for it to be over, time travel back in time to before it happened, travel to where they are, and throw a Stargate into their Sun while the Attero Device is active so that the Gate blows up and causes it to go super nova?" Carter offers.  
  
"Okay, that'll be Plan F for Freeman, and C for Carter," you say. "What else do we have?"  
  


* * *

"So we need to contact Atlantis," your name is Tegiri Kalbur. "What do we have at our disposal that can do that?"  
  
"Astro Delta Replicator Disruptor arrays?" Ashler offers. "Could we modify those somehow?"  
  
"Hmm... I dunno. Let's run some tests," you say.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Are we up and running?" Argo Lalonde asks, entering the Auxiliary Control Room while putting their jacket back on. Jade Jackson follows close behind.  
  
"Yes we are," you are Amelia Banks, and you nod in confirmation. "We've routed all the city's main controls into this room."  
  
"Atleast we're not blind anymore," Keiko says.  
  
"No, but we're severely crippled," Zelenka says, "And without the 'gate or the ability to reach the Daedalus, we have no way of getting to M6H-987 or rescuing Rodney and Thor. It's... Bad."  
  
Keiko frowns. "Can we contact the Asuras research facility? What about the Argo or the Tria? What about the Aurora?"  
  
"No, we're unable to reach them either," you report. "They're out of range, and even if we could contact them, there's no telling if-"  
  
A console beeps- a proximity alarm.  
  
"Ship out of hyperspace. It's a Traveler Ship IFF!" you report.  
  
"Well, that's news," Keiko moves over to a screen. "Put them on."  
  
A woman, unfamiliar to you, and to the others too it seems, appears on screen. _"My name is Katana Labrea. I'm a Traveler. Larrin sent me."_  
  
"Is everything alright?" Keiko asks.  
  
 _"No, as a matter of fact, it's not,"_ Katana states. _"My ship is the only one of ours that has a functioning Hyperdrive right now."_  
  
"Really?" Keiko asks. "What's going on?"  
  
 _"Our attack fleet was about to depart to join the assault on the people flying the Slayer,"_ Katana begins _, "when it suddenly appeared before us, still severely damaged from the earlier fight with the Wraith. It went on a suicide charge against our Aurora class Ancient Ship. We're not sure how they knew where to find us or why, but they rammed into our ship, and created a devastating explosion that caused damage to most of our attack fleet. Our long range communications were also down for some reason. By the time we'd gathered our wits and managed enough repairs to enter hyperspace, the Anti-Attero program we'd uploaded to our Hyperdrives prevented most of us from entering Hyperspace. Our various Hyperdrives wouldn't engage... again, save for my ship."_  
  
"That's..." Keiko turns to Argo. "Well, that's an unexpected end for the Slayer, I guess?"  
  
"But why?" Argo frowns. "It doesn't make any sense to do that."  
  
"Why doesn't matter," Jade says. "What I want to know is why your hyperdrive is working, Katana?"  
  
 _"My ship has... a very gifted mechanic. The best we can figure, one of her modifications accidentally made us immune to whatever's going on,"_ Katana shrugged.  
  
For some reason, Zelenka flinches, and mumbles something you're pretty sure is an "Oh no, not again."  
  


* * *

  
  
A suited warrior enters the holding room that you, THOR, and Doctor Rodney Mckay awoke in.  
  
"You," the suited warrior points to you. "Come with me."  
  
Mckay gives you a look that says 'come back with good info, or I'm going to break out of here without you.'  
  
"Very well," you stand, and follow the guard to where he's taking you.  
  
You get the feeling this is going to be the thing that makes or breaks today.  
  


* * *

  
  
"So, that's about the situation on our end," Keiko finishes explaining. "No gate, and no ships if they're stranded like the rest of your fleet are. They have our people, and need to be stopped."  
  
"Then I guess I got here just in time," Katana says, sitting in a chair in the auxiliary control room. "We probably have the only working Hyperdrive in Pegasus right now. It seems to fall on us to put an end to this."  
  
Your name is Argo Lalonde, and you grin. "That's what I wanted to hear," you say. "I'm going to assign you AR-9, Rose, and Zelenka to see this through."  
  
"What? Me?" Zelenka looks up. "Why?"  
  
"Because I'm in charge and I say so," you stick your tongue out.  
  
"I'm also seconding that," Keiko says. "You're the only one cleared for field duty who has the skills to pull this off right now, second to Mckay."  
  
Zelenka mumbles, "[Oh, so it's more like I'm expendable then, I guess. Thanks for retiring to desk duty,] Tyzias. Uh. Tyzias can take over my position here while I'm gone then."  
  
"I'll call her up to get on this," you say. "You guys get to stopping this."  
  


* * *

  
  
You are once again Thor, and you arrive in the control room for the Attero Device. The presumed leader of this group stood by the console.  
  
Okay, you, time to do your thing and channel the inner you that made you who you are.  
  
"You wish to speak to me?" The leader asks, turning to face you.  
  
"You are the leader?" You asked, then continued without waiting. "You need to turn this device off immediately."  
  
"No, I do not," They counter.  
  
"I understand wanting to destroy the Wraith, but there are better ways," you say.   
  
"I disagree," They counter.  
  
"I am unsure if your lieutenant informed you, but this device makes Stargates Explode when they're activated," you begin.  
  
"We do not use the Stargates."  
  
"Yes, that may be the case but other people do," you say. "And if your plan to 'block' the Attero Device from spreading to other Galaxies has failed then this is not just affecting Pegasus, but other galaxies as well."  
  
"They are of no concern to us, here, or in other galaxies."  
  
....  
  
...  
  
You feel your Inner O'neill simmer with rage. Oh how easy it could be to just...  
  
But no.  
  
You bite down on that urge to shout.  
  
"So, you are just going to let not just millions of people in this galaxy die, but potentially billions and trillions more across whole other Galaxies die as well?" You frown. "You are no better than the Wraith."  
  
"Perhaps, but we have little choice," the leader says.  
  
"Why?" You ask.  
  
"Our planet is dying. It can no longer sustain us. For the first time in countless generations, we must venture out into this galaxy again—a galaxy controlled by the Wraith. If we do not destroy them, they will destroy us. This is the way it must be."  
  
"I can understand attacking the Wraith, but why assault the Ships of Atlantis?" you ask.  
  
"They would interfere and prevent us from our task, as they have interfered with our Supplier in the past and present," the leader states.   
  
...Supplier?  
  
"Who is this Supplier that you speak of?" you ask.  
  
"The pale, suited man with the briefcase," the Leader states.  
  
The pale, suited man with the--  
  
The 'G-Man' who Gordon Freeman worked for before being discarded and left to die on the Borealis??  
  
"If you are speaking of the individual I think you are, I believe you are vastly mistaken as to his motives," you say. "He uses those he can as pawns, and discards them without a thought."  
  
"So that may be, but we likewise plan on discarding him when our goals have been achieved," the suited figure says.  
  
 _ **...Oh for Crying out Loud!**_  
  


* * *

  
  
"How fast can we push the engines on this thing?" Your name is Akita Red, and you follow Zelenka and Katana to the engineering room door of Katana's ship.  
  
"We'll have to talk to our engineer to figure that out," Katana says, opening the bulkhead and revealing a...  
  
Oh.  
  
Oh that's messy. Wires and grease and tubes and... and... Is that one of those toy electro-orb devices you've seen in the Children's Playroom back on Atlantis? You didn't think those came from anywhere but Earth and Alternia. Apparently not.  
  
"This is your engineering room?" Zelenka asks, sounding incredulous.  
  
"That's right," Katana nods. "It may not look like much, but trust me, we can out-run most anything in the Traveler's Fleet."  
  
That's... honestly impressive. And given that it's still functioning in this time and place is...  
  
"Mila?" Katana calls out, your only warning before a young girl is suddenly inside your personal space, having crawled out from behind a- a- Well, a piece of the Hyperdrive, you guess.  
  
"Hey!" The girl grins.  
  
"Mila, this is Akita, and Doctor Zelenka. They're from Atlantis." Katana does the introductions. "Mila is our chief engineer."  
  
"She can't be more than eleven!" Zelenka exclaims.  
  
"Ten, actually," Katana says. "She's been working on ships since she was four. Only gotten better since the Zillyum wave." She turns to the girl. "We need to get where we're going as fast as possible. I want you to do whatever you can to maximize Hyperdrive Output."  
  
"No problem!" Mila salutes.  
  
"Well," You say. "I'm convinced. Zelenka and I are at your disposal to help out."  
  
Katana smirks. "Good."  
  
"[Oh for crying out loud, Children! Why is it always children? I just knew it was going to be children somehow!]" Zelenka mumbles.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Thor once again, and barely a moment has passed, but... but...  
  
You can't hold it back anymore.   
  
"We are Talking about the deaths of Millions of people or more. How can you be so callous? And what is it you're so afraid of?" you vent, your newly mostly human body flooding hormones and raw sensations you haven't felt in countless cloning generations surfacing again and making you feel so MAD. _"And Why are you still in your battle armor!?_ I can't hurt you, you took my weapons! I know you are not Human. Or Alternian. And you are definitely not Wraith. And if you were of the Lanteans, you would not have needed our help to activate the Device- **_So Just Who The Hell Do You Think You Are!?"_**  
  
The suited figure observes you for a moment, then turns, and the... the... The back of the armor retracts back, and...   
  
Oh.  
  
Oh No.  
  
This can't be.  
  
An ASGARD climbs out of the suit. Small, frail, pale skin, bulbous heads... they're Cloned Asgard. They're cloned Asgard like you once used to be.  
  
It's like staring into a mirror of dark potentials and reflections thrown back at you with- with---  
  
"You're Asgard." You state, simply.  
  
"You've encountered our kind before?" The leader asks- some circuitry on his chest and head blinks with lights. Interfaces for the suits? But why??  
  
"Not just encountered," you put your hand to your heart. "I am Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard High Council."

The Asgard across from you looks amused, then laughs. "That is a cheep joke at our expense."  
  
"It is True," you state.  
  
"You may believe you are Asgard, but you look nothing like how we once did," the... no. Not an Asgard. You think you remember them now. A splinter group. The One across from you says. "The Asgard we diverged from suffered from the same eternal cloning problem we suffer from. You look nothing like us."  
  
"That is because we found a CURE, and a source of un-corrupted DNA from which we could build new templates upon!" You say. "We found hope through allying with the people you have attacked and threaten their lives with by leaving the Attero Device active! We are REBUILDING! And more than that we are GROWING! New Asgard are being born for the first time again in uncountable generations!"  
  
"A nice and pleasant dream, but nothing more," The... The... the VANIR across from you states.  
  
"I stand corrected," you say. "You are not Asgard. You are VANIR."  
  
The Leader's eyes widen slightly. "Ah. I see. So you do possess some knowledge of who we as a people are."  
  
"You are no better than Loki, performing experiments on unwilling individuals," you scowl. "And it has gotten you nowhere. The same as it got HIM nowhere until he stole technology and performed unsanctioned experiments on our allies. Allies who were perfectly willing to accept such tests had we just ASKED!"  
  
"And yet I assume it was his break through that got you to where you are today?" The Vanir across from you asks, smugly. "Hypocrite."  
  
"Loki stole technology we already had plans to use to save ourselves. The only reason we had not conducted our own research was because we were at War with an unstoppable menace!" You inform him. "And once that war was ended, we had the time and space to conduct research, and most importantly, gather volunteers who were willing to donate their time and genetic codes to rebuilding our race."  
  
"So you believe the ends did not justify the means then?" The Vanir asks. "They do not justify the means now either, hm?"  
  
"That is exactly my point," you say.  
  
The Vanir considers you for a very, very long moment...  
  
And then he speaks:

"We came to this galaxy during the war. With both the Wraith and the Ancients occupied, we were free to conduct our experiments. Unfortunately, the hostilities came to an end sooner than we thought, and with an unexpected result."   
  
"You were betting on the Ancients because while they would have stopped your experiments, they wouldn't have killed you as the Wraith would," you observe, still a bit angry.  
  
"The Wraith do not tolerate the presence of advanced technologies other than their own. Before we knew what was happening, we were under attack. We lost our intergalactic ships in the first battle, and we did not have the resources to build more," The Leader of the Vanir states.  
  
 _Well, that explains a lot._  
  
"So how did you survive?" You ask.  
  
"We had no choice but to abandon our settlements and retreat to a place where the Wraith could not look for us—a planet with a toxic atmosphere."  
  
 _....they._  
  
 _....you._  
  
 _....what???_  
  
Your stunned silence must have been taken as opportunity to continue, because he does.  
  
"It was tolerable at first. We were able to survive using simple breathing apparatus. But over the eons, the environment has grown so harsh that not even our armored exoskeletons can protect us now."  
  
"So you ventured back into the galaxy, and that's when you came across this place," you deduce.  
  
"We knew it was built by the Ancients, and why. But we were unable to activate it, until your Mecha Ship crash landed, with our Supplier, his Technician, and the hapless woman caught up in its inter-dimensional voyage."  
  
A woman? What woman?  
  
That probably doesn't matter.  
  
"Look, I am sorry that you were trapped on a poisonous planet for the last ten thousand years. I really am. I'm sure it was awful. But that does not justify what you're doing here."  
  
"My people are dying. The fact that, as you tell us, our brothers are already gone, only reinforces the need. If we do not do this, our whole civilization, a hundred thousand years of history, will be wiped out forever. I cannot allow that to happen."  
  
"But your people are NOT dying!" you state. "The Asgard race is alive! We are thriving! You do not have to do this! You could leave and come home and abandon this Galaxy and have working bodies again!"  
  
"Why would we want to do that?" The Vanir asks.  
  
"What?" You ask. "I don't understand."

There is a long pause, and then the Vanir smirks.  
  
"And look where it has gotten you," he finally says.  
  
"...Excuse me?" You ask.  
  
"Modeled with genetics so similar to a human that our scanners did not even realize you for what you claim to be," The Vanir scoffs. "You've abandoned our lineage. You are No Asgard. I declare your kind an evolutionary Dead End. We Vanir... No... We no longer have to call ourselves that. _**WE ASGARD**_ are now the Only who Remain!" And with that, he motions for you to be taken away.  
  
You yell, kicking and screaming, trying to get him to listen to reason.  
  
But he doesn't.

The last you see of the leader is that he climbs back into his suit and seals himself inside once more.  
  
How!? _How could they be so blind!?_  
  
 _ **You could HELP THEM if they'd only LISTEN!**_  
  
 _Why won't they Listen!?_  
  


* * *

  
Your name is Lloyd Armadn, and you enter the engineering room to check on things.  
  
"How's it coming?" You ask.  
  
"Ah, well-" Zelenka starts.  
  
"It's going- EEEP!" Akita yelps as a small fire ignites on a panel.   
  
Mila slaps it out with her bare hands and doesn't even seem phased. "It does that sometimes. Don't let it bother you and put it out."  
  
Zelenka and Akita motion for you to talk in private.  
  
"What we are doing here is _Not Safe,"_ Zelenka says, a small touch of horror in his eyes.  
  
"She's only ten and using Magic I can't even understand to keep this thing running," Akita says.   
  
"What else is new?" You ask, glancing at the bracelet on her wrist.  
  
"She is pushing this ship well past its boundaries," Zelenka says.  
  
"Isn't that what we want? If we don't get to this place fast and shut it down even faster, this galaxy- maybe even every galaxy- is going to be on fire just like that panel was!" You remind them.  
  
"This is the crudest hyperdrive system I have ever encountered. It is cobbled together from mismatching components," Zelenka says.  
  
"I'll admit she has to be pretty smart to put a hyperdrive together with mismatched parts, but..." Akita glances over at the girl. "At her age? She's younger than even Colonel Claire was when she started with this sort of thing."  
  
Zelenka sighs. "She's going to burn it up. Once we drop out hyperspace, there's a high possibility we won't be able to engage the drive again."  
  
"We'll... worry about that when we get there, alright?" You offer.  
  
That's when an alarm starts beeping loudly. High pitched, rapid beeps.  
  
"What's that?" Zelenka asks, growing panicked.  
  
Mila reaches over and smacks something, shutting the alarm off.  
  
Completely unconcerned, she states, "Just a radiation warning that's got a _liiiitle bit of an oversensitive detector_. It goes off when someone uses the Microwave in the kitchen, even. It's **that** sensitive. I'm replacing it just as soon as I find a new one. Don't worry about it."  
  
"Microwaves??" Zelenka gives you a worried look.  
  
You shrug.   
  
Akita sighs.  
  
"Look, I gotta get back to the bridge," you say. "I'll leave you two to it."  
  


* * *

  
  
"You okay?" You are Rodney Mckay, and you stare as Thor gets brought back in, thrown to the floor, with the door sealing behind him. "I thought you were a goner."  
  
"I am alright," Thor says as he gets to his feet before you can help him.  
  
"What happened?" You ask. "What did they want?"  
  
"To talk," Thor says. "And then to laugh when they didn't like my opinions."  
  
"Ah, how'd that go exactly?" You ask.  
  
"They're Asgard," Thor says.  
  
"What?" You ask.  
  
"A Faction that broke off from mine thousands of years ago. The Vanir," Thor pauses. "They're the ones inside the suits."  
  
"Well, I didn't see that coming," you remark, glancing at the one wall you're sure has a camera in it.  
  
"Not fans of the Wraith, either," Thor grimaces.  
  
"Are they going to shut off the device?" You asked. "I mean, you're Asgard, they're Asgard, surely they-"  
  
"Don't care," Thor interrupts.  
  
"What?" You ask.  
  
"They do not care," you say. "They did not care I am an Asgard. They did not care to shut down the device. They did not even wish to come home after living on a toxic planet for thousands of years. it is.... Frustrating. To say the least."  
  
"Then I don't care either," you say. "As long as that thing is on, then we have to stop it." You pause. "Besides, I think I've figured a way out of here."  
  
"Oh?" Thor asks, with a very O'neill like eyebrow raise.  
  
"Yeah, just, ah... stand in front of me and keep me out of sight from that wall over there?" You motion at it with your head, and then mouth, "Camera watching."  
  
Thor stands where directed, and you pry open a wall console.  
  
"Ancient Facility, meet substandard Fire Hazard Protocols," You chuckle, and then use your force shields to create a small bridging connection between two points and-  
  
 _ **SPARK!**_  
  
The doors glide open, and you and Thor book it before anyone notices.  
  
"Okay, so, we need to get to the device control room," you begin.  
  
"It will no doubt be crawling with soldiers," Thor says.  
  
"Well, we'll need to create a diversion," you say. "Maybe go to the power relay station and create an explosion?"  
  
"A good idea, were it not for the Naquadria core," Thor says. "It's a miracle this place hasn't blown itself up beneath our feet yet."  
  
As he says those words, the ground trembles beneath your feet.  
  
"...Spoke too soon there," you mutter.  
  
"To quote O'neill," Thor laments, "D'oh!"  
  
"So, ah, big explosion, not a good idea," you frown.  
  
Then, you open a door at the end of a corridor and- _**OH GOD SUITS!!!**_  
  
You instinctively forceshield them to the ground, and then realize...  
  
"Oh. They're empty."  
  
"...Rodney," Thor begins. "Why have you not used your force shields before now?"

...Well, you see, the answer to that is quite simple.  
  
"...I forget I have them sometimes, alright?" You sigh.  
  


* * *

  
  
"And you're sure you have it all figured out?" Katana asks.  
  
"Of course I do!" Maka Albarn boasts. "I can fly Puddle Jumpers, and I've taken a few spins behind the Odyssey for emergency training before I came to Atlantis. I can manage this."  
  
You are Rose Lalonde, and you hope you can manage what your part in this mission is.  
  
Exit hyperspace, warp down to Rodney and Thor, grab them, and warp back onto the Traveler's ship before things get out of hand.  
  
"Alright," Katana calls out. "We're about to exit hyperspace! Everyone get ready!"  
  


* * *

  
  
The ship lurches as it drops out of hyperspace- sparks fly across the room.  
  
"See!" Zelenka cries out. "I knew this would happen! We burned it out!"  
  
"We got here though, didn't we?" Mila asks.  
  
Akita just sighs. "By Yggdrasil, how have we not exploded yet?"  
  


* * *

  
  
"Any sign of the Daedalus or other ships?" Maka calls out.  
  
"Scans are showing... No," Katana states. "Looks like we beat them here. Unsurprising, really."  
  
"I'll bring us in close enough for Rose to zip down to the planet," Maka begins- only for alarms to sound.  
  
"Two ships, closing in fast," Katana reports. "Shields are up, you can fire at will!"  
  
"Firing," Maka states.  
  


* * *

  
  
The Vanir Ships enter range, weapons hot.  
  
Katana's ship fires back, dodging left, and right... But they can't get close enough to the planet just yet.  
  


* * *

  
  
You're still Rodney Mckay, and you feel so badass right now. You and Thor sneak into the Control room by blatantly just marching in the front door, wearing the encounter suits these Asgard have been using to intimidate you.  
  
You and Thor stun the room's guards before they can do anything.  
  
"Alright, now let's get to the-" You stop. "OH COME ON!"  
  
"What is it?" Thor asks.  
  
"They took the control box!" you point at the empty spot on the console.   
  
"Well that makes things more difficult," Thor says, removing his suit's helmet.  
  
"Tell me about it!" you say, pulling off your own helmet. "Now that means the only option we have is shut down the device by pulling the control crystal or-"  
  
The ground rumbles again- and for a bit longer.  
  
"Or we wait for the Naquadria to finish the job for us!" You finish the sentence.  
  


* * *

  
  
A third Vanir appropriated Ancient ship takes to the air, the Comander of the Vanir carrying the control box with him as leaps onto the boarding ramp before it closes.  
  
Distantly, a plume of lava can be seen bursting forth from the side of a mountain.  
  


* * *

  
  
One of the Vanir ships explodes from the Traveler ship's fire.  
  
"One down! One to go!" Maka calls out.  
  
"Explosions on the surface," Katana reports. "Looks like the planet's core is overloading. Annnd There's a third ship heading for us."  
  
"Wonderful!" Maka said with an obvious sarcastic bite.  
  
"Ready when you are to get our people and get out of here, Rose," Soul says, glancing around nervously.  
  
"We're not close enough," Rose says.  
  
"Akita? We need the Hyperdrive back on fast- just long enough to get us clear of a planet exploding," Lloyd radios.

"That's impossible!" Zelenka radios back.  
  
"Not a problem!" Mila replies.  
  
"Oh for the- We'll get it done, Lloyd!" Akita says.  
  
"Contact in five...!" Katana calls out, as the Vanir ship approaches in the front view. "Four--!"  
  
A hyperspace window suddenly opens- and the ship hits it with all the force of a snowball through a screen door.   
  
Maka yelps out something unintelligible as she swerves the ship around to avoid the debris cloud.  
  
"What the fuck was that!?" Rose yelps.  
  
"They scuttled themselves against the hyperspace window!" Soul barks out a short laugh. "Oh Glubbing fantastic! They didn't realize they were actually subject to their own weapon at work! What idiots!"  
  
"The other ship's breaking off," Maka says. "I'm bringing us towards the facility. Rose! Jump when-"  
  
 _ **POP- WOOOSH! -POP!**_  
  
She's gone, and back, with a startled Mckay and Thor held by each arm wrapped around their own.  
  
"Oh Thank God that worked!" Rose exhales.  
  
"The planet's Core is Naquadria it's about to explode!" Mckay exclaims, filling everyone in.  
  
"Oh, Fantastic!" Soul laughed. "Can you believe that!? Naquadria!? Really!?? It's like the universe is trolling us!"  
  
"Speaking of trolling, the other ship's coming around!" Maka growls. "Stupid clingy bastards!"  
  
"Will firing at the facility cause the planet to explode early?" Katana asked.  
  
"I don't know- Probably??" Mckay answers uncertainly.  
  
"Almost likely, but not by any measure that matters to us if the Hyperdrive is brought online in time," Thor answers.  
  
"Then let's fire at that facility and get the Attero Device Offline," Katana decides.  
  
Maka flies the Traveler ship around in a wide looping circle that the Vanir ship has a hard time following, and she strafe fires several bursts at the Attero Device complex from on high without even entering the planet's atmosphere.  
  
The resulting explosions cause the deterioration of the Planet's core to accelerate.  
  
Explosions begin bursting forth from the planet's surface all over the place in a much more accelerated fashion.  
  
"Remaining ship's coming around again!" Maka warns.  
  
"Hyperdrive's online!" Mila reports.  
  
"JUMPING!" Katana calls out, and-  
  
With a flare of energy, the Traveler ship jumps out as far as it can go.  
  
The Vanir ship doesn't have time to process this revelation before the planet beneath it explodes with a flare of fissionable blue Naquadria energy, taking the ship out with it.  
  
Katana's ship exits hyperspace a few moments later, far enough away that the exploding planet looks merely like a baseball sized ball of blue flames on the main view screen.  
  
"...I think we can safely say the Attero Device is thoroughly scuttled," Rose exhales. 

"Yeah, definitely," Mckay nods.  
  
"Indeed," Thor gives a grim smile. "This horrible chapter in our lives is permanently over."  
  


* * *

  
  
Casually shutting down the red beam of subspace interference, the G-man's face was... still, as if masking any emotions lurking beneath the surface.  
  
He'd failed yet again to eliminate the Lanteans.   
  
It had been close.  
  
So very close.  
  
And yet...  
  
Now his pawns among the Vanir who had been willing to do his dirty work were all dead.  
  
Idiots.  
  
The one who'd tried to escape scuttled himself against the effects of the Attero Device.  
  
What a fool of a leader.  
  
Still, close enough. Close close close...  
  
The G-man adjusted his tie as he closed the portal, and left that piece of subspace distorting tech floating in the void between galaxies.  
  
Close enough that the next plan he launched might very well work out entirely in his favor.  
  


* * *

  
  
 **EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 3RD, 2004.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 08/15/0007.**  
  
Your name is John Sheppard, and you stare at the remains of your once new and mighty bedframe with something akin to disbelief.  
  
"It fell apart because of the Stargate explosion shockwave?" You ask.  
  
Argo nods, blushing. "Yep."  
  
"That's our story and we're sticking to it," Jade nods, similarly blushing.  
  
"Well... I'll say that's one way to win a bet," You sigh.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Keiko Ayano, and you're finally relieved of command duty for the foreseeable future.  
  
"Zelenka's team has been a big help with the ship repairs," Katana says, smiling as you and she walk down a hallway. "We should have her ready to fly in no time."  
  
"And then what?" You ask.   
  
"Back to the plan of starting a new settlement," Katana sighs. "With so many of our ships damaged... It's going to be a necessity rather than a mere idea."  
  
"Atleast the Stargates won't be exploding anymore," you say.  
  
"True," Katana nods.  
  
"You tell Larrin that I'll be glad to help with anything you all need," you say.  
  
"We will be in touch," Katana smiles. "Thank you."  
  
"Any time," you say. "Though, do tell larrin she doesn't need to wait for the next galactic emergency to drop by? It's so much nicer when things aren't... y'know. Exploding everywhere?"  
  
"That's not what Larrin said," Katana grinned.  
  
"What? Really?" You ask.  
  
"Oh, yes, she said that things are always exploding constantly around you all," Katana laughs. "It's like you're magnets for explosions."  
  
"Now I take offense to that," you say.  
  
Katana just laughs.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Ronon Dex, and you feel like you got cheated out of a grand adventure.  
  
So you go to the firing range to blow off some steam.  
  
Really. REALLY. Feel like you got cheated somehow out of all of this.  
  
You signed on for shooting things and blowing things up and then got stuck on a ship for a day.  
  
Not fun.  
  
Not fun at all.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Mallek Adalov, and you gaze at the hole in the floor where the Stargate used to be.  
  
"How long exactly before we can get a new Stargate?" You ask.  
  
"Mmh... about as long as it'll take us to get the Astro Megaship back to Alternia," Joey answers, pursing her lips. "Then double that for the return trip."  
  
"Bout a week, then?" you ask.  
  
"Oh, yeah, we'll have the new Gate installed for next week's episode along with a fresh coat of paint for the walls and floor and ceiling..." Joey glances upwards and winces. "Yeah, okay, maybe not the ceiling."  
  
You don't even bother looking up at the stage lights that were temporarily put up there while repairs are being made.  
  
"Soo... You guys staying here?" You ask.  
  
"For the moment," Joey nods. "Dammek's requested more MegaPlas of Unusual Size for Atlantis, so until those come in to combat the Wraith Magnums..." She shrugs.  
  
"Glad to know you're in it for the long haul, atleast," you say.  
  
"I mean, we did finish up most of our unfinished business here, but..." Joey frowns. "The G-Man's still out there doing shit. We stopped some of the Vanir, but... not permanently."  
  
"I heard Thor's getting a new ship and going to try and find whatever planet it is they're hiding on," you say. "I hear it's a real fancy one."  
  
"Oh?" Joey asks.  
  
"Yeah, apparently it's got decorative, curved swords on it, and he's calling it the _Hammerfell,_ " you grimace. "I feel like it's a meme reference. It's got to be a meme reference, right?"  
  
"Hell if I know what he's referencing, but yeah," Joey nods. "Thor's... Thor. That's really all there is to say on the matter."  
  
"Amen to that," you agree.  
  


* * *

  
  
"So we've re-calibrated the shields to work on a slightly different frequency," Zelenka reports. "So, hopefully we won't have any future shield breaches like we did yesterday."  
  
You are Richard Woolsey, and you nod in acceptance of that. "Alright. And Janus' lab?"  
  
"We're still working through the encryption, but given another couple of weeks, we should be good to start running through his research notes," Zelenka answers.   
  
"When you do, don't make an official report on that subject," you say. "In fact, make a false report saying that you failed one of the equations and it caused a total system wipe."  
  
"Okay... But why?" Zelenka asks.  
  
"I do not want the IOA getting any ideas," you say. "Especially about building their own Attero device based on Janus' research notes. Infact, make sure to actually delete anything you find on the Attero device itself. Feel free to research whatever, but... Let's finish the job we already started, first?"  
  
Zelenka nods. "Understood. Attero Device? What Attero Device? There is no Attero Device any longer."  
  
"Exactly," you give a smile, and he walks away, leaving you alone in a hallway.  
  
You head to the remains of your office, and grimace as you pick up a broken photo frame off of the floor.   
  
You brush the dust off and see that picture you had from your childhood of your family's dog managed to survive.  
  
You smile, and right the frame on the shelf it fell from. "Good boy, Shelby," you tell the photo, if for no other reason than to be happy that he survived the blast.  
  
You look around the wreckage. "Now to clean all this up." You sigh. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: MINISODE: CRAFTWORK  
> \---  
> And THERE. WE. GO.
> 
> So, uh. Yeah. The Vanir. The Pegasus Ass-gard. Man, what a buncha pricks. Thor's going to have his work cut out for him to convince the survivors to go home.
> 
> In canon, it was Daniel talking to that guy, but it felt much more... Emotionally Appropriate for Thor to be the one to make this discovery. New properly human body and all, Thor gets to feel all those old human emotions again for the first time in quite a long time, and the rage he feels against these assholes is quite real. 
> 
> Who needs Ascended Asgard spirits to descend and fix things now? Not me, who doesn't have enough free story time to work in that particular Novel's plot anymore. 
> 
> That plot thread... uh... is pretty much derailed. LOL.
> 
> \---
> 
> Rose gets a Big Damn Heroes Moment! WOOT!
> 
> \---
> 
> Man, speaking of derailed Plot threads. The Vanir ship scuttling themselves against the hyperspace window sure was dumb. They tried this stunt in canon and it worked as an escape route. But man. They sure didn't realize that their hyperdrives were affected by the Attero Device either. 
> 
> This is why you listen to the scientists! Even if you kidnap them, if they're warning you not to do something stupid, chances are THEY'RE WARNING YOU NOT TO DO SOMETHING STUPID!
> 
> So they scuttled themselves. Man. What a way to go. Irony at its finest shred. 
> 
> \---
> 
> And yeah, the Slayer got destroyed off screen. Now we know why the Travelers didn't show up. Talk about a risky move. You just know the G-Man arranged for that one, somehow. 
> 
> \---
> 
> Not a lot else to say about this episode except that I really enjoyed tweeking the story while generally keeping the overall pacing the same. Also, nobody needed to go charging into an electrified room and nearly killing themselves to shut down the Attero Device! So there's that.


	30. MINISODE: CRAFTWORK

**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 3RD, 2004.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 08/15/0007.**  
  
It's not every day that a custom Stargate Order comes into the Cla'dian's Spacefarers Battleship Yard.   
  
Of course, it's not every day that Stargate Orders come in period, hence why the facilities that make them were consigned to a corner of the ship yards that once built battleships, and now focus more on simple spacefaring ships. Oh, sure, they still came armed to the teeth and were armored to the nines, but generally they aren't designed as warships these days.  
  
Still, Sylen, the designer of the old Dragonfly personal flight craft, rolled his shoulders with a grin as the order came in.  
  
A custom Stargate of Alternian Programming, hardware, firmware, and software, all wrapped up in a nine chevron Pegasus Gate frame.  
  
It wouldn't be too hard to modify the old Midway Gate molds of that style to fit an extra Chevron again. Hell, it'd been harder REMOVING one to make it an even eight to begin with.  
  
But yeah. Nine Chevrons, Pegasus Style Gate... just where was it going to be delivered to?  
  
Sylen checked the order, and nearly fainted.  
  
Atlantis had lost its Stargate??  
  
How!!? Why!? When!? (Okay, the when had to be fairly recently, within the last few days.)  
  
And they expected pickup within a week's time?? Less than a week's time???  
  
Fulfilling the custom order for the Midway Gates had been one hell of an exercise in rapid fire construction, but a Custom Gate of a singular work... meant for a singular purpose was...  
  
Okay, it wasn't too bad, all things considered, but Sylen had a craftsman's pride!! He was a Cla'dian ship designer! He took pride in each work and--  
  
Okay, it was readily clear and obvious that the Atlantis Stargate needed to be replaced As Soon As Possible.  
  
He'd just have to make two then. A Cheap rework on the house and then a proper WORK OF ART for permanent installation.   
  
And so Sylen got to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A brief check-in with this guy! Man, those Dragonflies sure didn't last long, did they? Here and gone, replaced with the 302s before you knew it. 
> 
> Next Chapter: ALT:10x13: Much Preferring Oatmeal.


	31. ALT:10x13: Much Preferring Oatmeal.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the timeline pulls a fast one due to a bad stitch in resolving a certain paradox.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That gaslighting tag comes into play this chapter, though it does retroactively highlight some earlier suspicious behavior. If you wanna know by whom to whom, check the end notes first before reading this chapter.

**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 3RD, 2004.**  
 **  
DIASPORA DATE: 08/15/0007.**  
  
Your name is Jade Harley, age NINE, and you live a fairly normal life.  
  
Today is a Wednesday, and thus your schedule goes something like this.  
  
Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast with Big Bro Jude and Aunt Cassie and Li'l Niece Penny.   
  
Get driven to School by Aunt Cassie, spend most of the day with June, Rose, and Nepp, and learn a bunch of stuff all day that isn't likely going to be important in the long run, but they teach you anyways. (Science is most boring. You can teleport with your mind and know most of this basic stuff already. They're just repeating it from last year anyways.)  
  
That's where things get dicey, because Big Bro Jude picks you up after school and drops you off at the house with Penny, asking you to keep an eye on her for the day for some weird reason. Apparently Aunt Roxy's busy today or something and can't keep an eye on Penny, cause June and Rose get taken off to do whatever it is with her instead.   
  
Normally, this means you'd hang out with Neep and do baby sitting stuff, but not today. 'Cause Uncle Karkat picks up Nepp and takes her somewhere for stuff too.  
  
It's just one of those days, you guess. 'Cause the reason you're asked to watch Penny is that Big Bro Jude goes off after dropping you off and you're left here alone with a six year old.  
  
This does not feel responsible in the least.  
  
Penny goes up to her room to play with her Glaceon plushies, and you... well...  
  
What do you have to do except watch TV or idly flip through the pages of your RELTO BOOK?

* * *

[ **O) <-Stargate Alternia->(O** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX5aCJbksGg)

* * *

When you'd gotten your Relto Book as a gift from Aunt Yeesha all those many, uh... however long ago it was, really. (You're NINE, and Space-Bound, not Time-Bound! Come ON!) You'd expected the same island on the linking panel.  
  
A towering spire of rock among the clouds.  
  
You got something a bit different. You all did.  
  
Rose's Relto was a much shorter rock spire above a misty sea, but, like June's, matched the linking panel to a T in terms of physical layout, and still swam amongst clouds- just clouds of a more rainbow like nature.   
  
June's Relto matched the panel fairly closely, but carried with it a subtle difference in the sky dome. A black sea, filled with stars above, and swarms of fireflies dotted across the landscape. The clouds clinging to the island were thick and grey and hefty.  
  
Nepp's Relto was metallic in design- almost like the skeletal remains of a skyscraper converted into a towering island spire. The clouds were light and hazy, and did nothing to obscure the glowing fields of crimson red rock pooling miles below.  
  
Your Relto is something strange, to say the least.  
  
Your Relto, yes, is a rock spire among the clouds. But where everyone's primary Relto surface was atop the spires, yours is... sort of submerged into the top of it. It's almost like your Relto has a rock fence surrounding its entire perimeter.  
  
If Relto is meant to be a reflection of your very soul, as Yeesha put it, then what do these Relto Islands say about your friends and about yourself?  
  
Your Relto Island is different in other ways. Where the others had Reltos that started off as blank slates, and as Yeesha gifted you pages on Birthdays and Holidays and such, the Islands began to change to your tastes...  
  
Yours was already pretty much filled in. There was a raised wooden deck overlooking a small pond and grotto that also let you peer out over the edges and see out into the vast beyond of mist and clouds and realize your rock spire towered over some massive jungle. There were metal pillars decorated with smoking, wooden poles, and there were trees of all colored leaves, swarms of butterflies, and some kind of month-themed calendar platform upon which a bonfire eternally burned.  
  
And you never mentioned it, but the reason for all of that seemed to be that your Relto itself was already home to someone else at the time you first linked there.   
  
Strange, right? Relto is supposed to be a one to one tie of book to person. How could someone else be there?  
  
But they were. Some weird multi-dimensional wall had been crossed in its own weird way, and there was another YOU on that Island. You didn't realize it at first. You just saw a cute black cat with startlingly familiar green eyes living in what seemed to be a trophy room in a small cave behind the hut.   
  
Sure, she was a cat who wore a small hood, and a shoulder cloak, and a book strapped to her side, but she was just a cat!  
  
But after you wondered aloud why your Relto was so much more crowded- why you suddenly had pages the others didn't...  
  
The other you- the cat- spoke.  
  
She spoke with a voice that was tonally identical your own, except squeakier, but she spoke with a voice that had the experience the older you- the alternate you- the you who was now a mother- also spoke with.  
  
If the others Relto's speak to their very souls, their desires and wishes and dreams... Reflections through and through?  
  
Then your Relto reflects your own inner desire to just talk to yourself.  
  
Cat you doesn't even go by the name Jade, or Harley, or Jackson. She said for you to call her Ezabi, but you got the impression she was just borrowing that name from someone else. She said she was an Alfiq (Whatever that was) who was hunting down some mean old business man who was working with some jerk named Hircine (A name that was became slightly more familiar to you due to some more recent dinner conversations about Atlantis, but at the time wasn't familiar to you at all) and that she'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about her being here.  
  
So you didn't tell anyone that she was there. Atleast, not as a talking Cat. You just said she was a cute cat that came and went as she pleased and you weren't too offput by her presence on the island.  
  
She was just a cat on her own mission, though. She didn't seem to want to actually deal with you any more than was absolutely necessary. It probably had something to do with the whole Cat Versus Dog thing. She was a cat, you've got wolfy traits and such that have started surfacing like your older self has had for... uh...  
  
A very long time.  
  
Last you saw her, was after you told her about the whole "Hunting Grounds" thing that happened in Pegasus a few months back.  
  
You weren't supposed to know about it, but Aunt Cassie let enough slip over dinner that you were able to sneak into Big Bro Jude's office and find a report on everything that you were able to take to cat you and showed her what was going on.  
  
She vanished soon after that, stating she had to chase down those leads, and used your Relto's Atlantis Book to link away.  
  
You never heard anything about someone's pet cat getting lost on Atlantis, so you guess she's managed to stay under everyone's noses.  
  
You've seen SIGNS that she's returned- bits in her cave room moved about, or the blankets in her tiny kitty cat bed being shuffled about- but you've just managed to avoid meeting her time and time again since then.  
  
It's kind of sad, really, how alternate yous seem to just go off and do their own thing and you just can never really keep them talking to you for long.  
  
You try not to take it personally. You have it from June that she only started feeling comfortable around her other self once that whole Shaper incident went down and they had a nice long talk about diverging souls or whatever it was.   
  
The more similar two selves are, chances are they might not get along- that was what Rose kept saying, too.  
  
Oddly, Nepp and Argo seemed to get along pretty well. Okay, maybe you're just an outlier. Older you seems to LIKE you, but... not in the way you'd like her to like you.  
  
You put your Relto Book aside onto a table and decaptchalogue your Rubix Cube.  
  
You scramble it up by hand to take out your frustrations a little.   
  
She gives you cool stuff like this, and she acts all happy and glad to be your mentor when it comes to powers, but...  
  
But...  
  
You know it's weird, but you'd really, really like it if she'd just pretend to be your mother every now and then?  
  
Like, don't get you wrong, you love your family life as it is. You love your friends, and family, and how everything's going, and... And you love Penny! She's a great niece! Even if you're not THAT much older than her!   
  
And yeah, Bio-Dad-Daniel got his whole life upset, but he's trying! He at least sends you emails every night. And he lets you come visit when his schedule's free too!   
  
So that's nice! He's trying!  
  
But your Bio-Mom is dead.   
  
And sometimes you wish she weren't so you could just have her to yourself.  
  
And... and... And there's this other you. This older you. This woman who looks so much like you that you thought she was your mother the first time you saw her and- and--  
  
And you try not to let it get to you but damn it all you just sometimes wish she'd-  
  
 _ **VRRRRMMMSSHSHSHSHshsshshsh...**_  
  
Your Relto Book hits the floor from where it'd been dropped with a muted thud.  
  
You freeze, and turn and look at the book, lying open on the floor.  
  
Penny.  
  
It hits you like a brick.  
  
You saw Penny sneaking by when you were caught up in your thoughts and she just used your Relto Book.  
  
You grab the book- attach to your hip- and link through.  
  
You arrive in the small cave that visitors come to- and that you come to when you haven't linked to it in a long while, and run out the cave- "Penny!?" You call out.  
  
Your only response is another _ **VRRRRMMMSSHSHSHSHshsshshsh**_ sound along with the sliding hiss of a retracting book slide from the hut.  
  
You rush into the hut, and find no sign of Penny at all.  
  
Your Bookshelf... Damn it, why did you leave the lock tabs up!? You have no idea which book she's taken or- or-  
  
You take a step towards the shelf- helplessly. Why why why why-- Wait- What if cat you was here? Did she-  
  
Then, _**VRRRMSSSHSHShshssh-**_ you trip over cat you as she links into the hut- landing flat on the floor.  
  
 _ **"NYAOOOW!**_ Watch it, Harley!" She yowls in shock, and... and... And...  
  
And there went your last hope!  
  
Your only response is to start sobbing.  
  
"...Harley?" Cat you moves into sight. "Hey? What's wrong?"  
  
"I screwed up big time," you sob out.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Penny Polendina Harley, and you link into the Diaspora Book Room with only a tiny bit of concern.  
  
Was that Jade chasing after you? Probably.  
  
It's okay, though. It's just a game. She'll be fine.  
  
Still, you hurry from the Book Room and rush for the Stargate courtyard.  
  
Nobody pays you any mind as you decpatchalogue a step stool for the DHD and punch in the address Aunt Ka'turnal gave you to use.  
  
Haven, the note from the box said, is where you go to go visit your parents in the past and meet the woman you never met called Aunt Morgan.  
  
 _ **WAA WAA! KAWOOSH!**_  
  
You check the small watch that was left in the box too- it's almost time.  
  
You make sure your backpack is firmly in place- Aunt Joey made sure you had some folders to carry with you last year that are still in there, and Aunt Ka'turnal's note said they're necessary to take with you- and then head through the Stargate.  
  
You arrive in a forest, and move for the DHD again.  
  
There's a woman waiting there- Alternian, ancient...  
  
Aunt Latula. You've barely seen her- she likes her privacy, you've been told- but you've met her a few times before.  
  
She stares at you, blinking in surprise. "Is it really that time already, Penny?"  
  
You say, "Aunt Ka'turnal's watch says I have to go."  
  
She nods. "Alright then, come stand over here, and wait for my signal."  
  
So you move over to stand by her, and wait as the Gate shuts down, and for the watch Aunt Ka'turnal gave you to count down towards the next stage of the game.  
  
Aunt Latula starts dialing an address as the watch nears the last minute.  
  
 _ **WAA WAA! KAWOOOSH!**_  
  
You start for the Gate.  
  
"Don't cross yet..." Aunt Latula says. "Not yet..."  
  
And then the sky turns red.  
  
"Now!"  
  
You step through the puddle.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Jade Jackson, and you frown as you're called to the Atlantis Book Room via the city intercom.  
  
It doesn't take you long to get there, and when you do, you find your younger alt-self crying her eyes out and-  
  
Is that a Cat?? Why is there a cat with her? It doesn't matter.  
  
You kneel down and ask, "Jade, sweetie? What's wrong?"  
  
"Penny-!" She answers. "I lost track of Penny!"  
  
...Oh Fuck.   
  
The gears click in place rapidly, and what follows is a quick series of a Link and a Gate dial, and you arrive on Haven to find Latula standing next to the DHD.  
  
"You just missed her," Latula answers before you can ask.   
  
You stare, and just stare, and little you just starts crying and...  
  
"Why?" You ask. "Why did you send her through now?"  
  
"Because the older version of her mother asked me to," Latula answers simply. "She came to me early last month and told me that I should be expecting Penny through sometime this month and to send her through along with the loop. I'd figured you'd all talked it through and made the arrangements already."  
  
You stare for several long moments more.  
  
"We weren't expecting her to go through until next week," you finally say. "That's when the return wormhole was supposed to drop her off."  
  
Latula's expression pales. "...Then when did I just send her to?"  
  
"That's what we need to figure out," you say, and move for the DHD to dial Diaspora and Link back to Atlantis.  
  


* * *

  
  
"CALLIE!"  
  
Your name is Callie Ohphee, and you jerk to attention as Jade Jackson comes barreling into your office in Atlantis.  
  
"Yes? What is it?" You ask.  
  
"Haven Solar Flare Database, NOW!" Jade barks out the order. "Penny just hitched a ride with a Solar Flare ahead of schedule."  
  
"Oh My God," you bring it up and browse through the dates and...  
  
"Oh for crying out loud," Jade agrees.  
  
The Solar Flare from earlier this afternoon is calculated to send someone back roughly to around the time that someone was slated to bury the stone tablet containing Earth's Address under the tree in Haven.  
  
And there are atleast three different solar flares from THAT time that could send someone forwards into the future- atleast one of which links to another solar flare that sends people back (Well, technically forwards, in that flare's case) to the date Penny was supposed to arrive in the first place.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are once again Jade Jackson, and you sigh, tiredly, as you enter your apartment.  
  
Little you sits on a chair, gazing out the window at the ocean. The cat still with her, sitting on her lap, and purring in some attempt at comforting her.  
  
Geeze, what a weird Cat. Is this the one that Mini-you said comes and goes, visiting her Relto whenever it damned pleases? It reminds you, oddly enough, of the Unending.   
  
"So, good news is it looks like Penny hitched a ride to a place we were expecting to put someone into place in, later down the line," you say. "So... she should wind up where she was meant to be and come back to us where she's expected to."  
  
"Is the bad news I'm in trouble?" Mini-you asks, not looking away from the window.  
  
"No," you say. "It wasn't your fault that Ka'turnal rigged things wrong," you sigh. "I'm sure Alt-Cassie's already berating her over the timeline goof up. One month's difference makes all the matter when it comes to Time Travel and Solar Flares."  
  
"But... she used my Relto Book to make it happen," Mini-you whimpers. "And I let it out of my sight. I shouldn't... It was my fault. I got distracted."  
  
The cat gives you such a strange look upon hearing that, while continuing to purr away.  
  
'Ask her about what,' the words seem to pop into your mind, from that gaze alone.  
  
"What were you distracted by?" You ask.  
  
Mini-you tenses, her shoulders clenching inwards, then-  
  
"I... I was upset..." she finally answers, shoulders slowly relaxing. "Sometimes I just... I wish I had a mother."  
  
 _Oh._  
  
The Cat seems to roll its eyes, as if saying 'Yes, OH is right,' before settling back into its comfort purring.  
  
"And I..." She sniffs. "And when you teach me stuff about our powers, sometimes I just kinda... daydream that maybe you could be her? For me?"  
  
"OHh..." you start to realize where she's going with this.  
  
"And now you're actually Casey's mom, so I just... I..." Mini-You's breath hitches, then she turns to look at you for the first time. "I know it's selfish of me to ask, but could you please pretend to be my Momma, sometimes??"  
  
Your heart just about breaks from the tears down the side of her face that she's trying to hold back and... and you've been there. You've been where she's been, so many times over and... and...   
  
...God, this is so freaking awkward to even contemplate.   
  
But... You remember. You remember when you first came back. You remember her staring up at you with wide eyes and a burning question.  
  
"Ar yu my Momma?" she'd asked then...  
  
How long has she been holding this back? You'd deflected to Jude then. When was that? 1997? It was, wasn't it?  
  
Oh. God. She was only, what? Not even Two?? You've been in her life that long and... and...  
  
You hug her tightly. "Okay." You promise. "I can do that."  
  
You can't deny her this request any longer.   
  
You hug her, and she moves to hug you back and... and the Cat just gives you this inscrutable look before hopping off Mini-you's lap and absconding somewhere.  
  
Who even cares about a cat loose in the City at this point?  
  


* * *

  
  
"Oh, wow, what a cute cat!" Your name is Ruby Branwen, and you kneel down and pet the random ass cat wandering the hallways of Atlantis. "What's your name? Huh?"  
  
The Cat looks at you with startling green eyes, and then states, "This ones name is Ezabi."  
  
...Processing.  
  
...Processing.  
  
...Processing.  
  
Error. Does not compute.  
  
"What?" you ask, flatly.  
  
"Nyaaa?," the cat meows at you, tilting her head.  
  
"Did you just talk?" You ask.  
  
"Nyaaaahhh." The cat meows again.  
  
"A.M.? Did this Cat just talk at me?" you ask.  
  
The Mech orb on your shoulder peers at the cat, then, chipperly states, "It's saying "nya!" like a cat!"  
  
"Nyaa!" The Cat meows again, much like a cat, and then takes off down the hallway.  
  
"Wait!" You cry out, but its gone. "But... But, did it talk to me???" you ask. "Did you hear it say its name was Ezabi??"  
  
"Mmmh... I don't have any data files of it doing such!" A.M. chirps from your shoulder. "Should I follow it and see if it talks again?"  
  
"Yes! Please!" you beg, and A.M. launches off your shoulder, rolling into a ball, and speeding off down the hallway after the cat.  
  


* * *

  
  
The cat waited in a tiny, hidden away corner as the green orb rolled up to it, and spread its legs to skid to a stop.  
  
For a moment, both sat across from eachother silently...  
  
Then, the blue eye light on the orb shut off for several long seconds, and then came back on.  
  
"Data suppression activated," the orb spoke, but not with the cheery voice it normally had, but with the calm, collected voice of Weiss Schnee. "So. I didn't expect to see you back again so soon. What changed?"  
  
"Sorry, but Ezabi ran into complications," The cat answered with a mild shrug of her shoulders and a tilt of her head. "Or rather, complications ran into Ezabi! Yowch! Who knew being tripped over by an alternate self hurt as much as being kicked in the butt by an angry skeleton belonging to a once equally angry Necromancer!"  
  
The orb's blue eye rolled in an obvious manner. "So, Jade tripped over you?"  
  
"Yes, that is what this one is saying!" The cat answered. "But do not worry, Fragrant Employer! This one still managed to succeed in her previous mission! The information you seek has been gathered!"  
  
Were Weiss capable of emoting more, both eyes would have been gleaming in anticipation, and her hands would have been clenched tightly, and metaphorical steam would've been blowing from her nose. As it was, A.M.'s dog-ear side flaps shot up, and a short burst of very literal steam blew forth from the usual exhaust vents.  
  
"Tell. Me. Everything!"   
  
"Hold your gears, Walker! It's a doozy! In summary, as far as this one can tell, our Prey has begun making overtures to a recently formed coalition of planets within the Pegasus Galaxy. He claims to be serving a benefactor - who this one is quite certain that benefactor is really that foul dog Hircine! - And is claiming that the Atlantis Expedition are rotten criminals! Progress is moving quickly, but is unlikely to succeed in anything. This one believes it to be a distraction for another attempt on Atlantis!"  
  
"Okay, now repeat all of that, but in detail. I need to know what to be prepared for and when we can strike out."  
  
"Of course, of course! Anything for you, oh round orb of employment!"  
  


* * *

  
  
When A.M. finally returned to Ruby Branwen, it was with a chipper exclamation of, "The Cat Meowed many times! I meowed back! It was fun!"  
  
Ruby sighed, "Of course it was just a normal cat. Man, I'm really losing it, aren't I?"  
  
The mechanical orb paused for several long moments. And then, surprisingly somberly, it stated, "I don't think you're insane. I think the cat was just playing with us both."  
  
As Ruby picked A.M. up and returned it to her shoulder, the Ascended Being hiding within the mechanical construct thought sourly, _'I'm sorry for lying to you, Ruby. But I can't let that bastard know I'm here in this dimension yet. When the time comes... I'll tell you everything and return to normal and we won't have to worry about this any more.'_  
  
It was a pleasant thought that would tide her over for now.  
  


* * *

  
  
"So, lemme get this straight," your name is John Sheppard, and just when you thought you were *done* with this kind of alt-self shenanigans... "Mini-Jade had a break down because Penny stole her Relto Book for long enough to Link to Diaspora, Gate to Haven, and Time Travel far into the past via Solar Flare while she was supposed to be under her watch?"  
  
"Yep," Argo nods, grimacing. "Not how we expected that loop to go off. Poor Chibi-Jade."  
  
"I guess the question I have to ask now is how long is she staying for, and should we prep a guest room?" You ask.  
  
"I already got a room being prepped," Argo says. "But if you ask me, I think we're going to have to move into a bigger apartment sooner rather than later."  
  
"Seriously?" you ask.  
  
"I get the feeling Chibi-Jade's gonna want to stay over a lot more often than she has been," Argo answers. "And with her comes the other kids coming to visit and hang out more often than they already do... Plus with Lizzy and Casey..."  
  
You wince. "I get it. I'll see if I can scout us a bigger room somewhere. Maybe Mckay's cleaned out a large Ancient lab or something."  
  
"If you find a lab that's big enough, make sure it has a nice window view!" Argo grins.  
  
"Sure, sure," you say. "And while I'm at it, I'll see if I can spring for a master bath suite, too."  
  
"Oooh! Could you?" Argo claps their hands. "That'd just be great!"  
  


* * *

  
  
 **EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 4TH, 2004.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 08/16/0007.**  
  
Your name is Joey Claire, and you massage at the bridge of your nose as you read the damned email from Jude- sent while Cassie's yelling at herself, apparently.   
  
You can't blame the alternate Cassandra for making a mistake like this. Almost 60 years of living in another time and it's frankly a miracle she only miss-remembered the departure date by a WEEK and not anything worse. And even more frankly, it's a miracle that this flare sent her back to a point you were all planning on sending someone there eventually anyways.  
  
Now you just have to hope that Penny actually returns as expected next week. It was only supposed to be hours that she was missing, not roughly a week or more of present-day time. If she fulfills the loop and winds up where she's supposed to be...  
  
Honestly, this whole Penny Time Traveling thing has been an adventure in blind faith the entire time. You just have to hope that everything works out the way its supposed to.  
  
You're not even sure if you can blame yourself for unintentionally lying to yourself and causing a misinformation loop.  
  
Your letter was written under the assumption that Penny would be going back on the loop you thought she was going back on, not the one she did go back on. The fact that the universe is allowing for the loop to work even in potential is...  
  
Well.  
  
The only downside to this is that you're going to have to wait about Fifteen Years to arrange for someone to travel back via the next available solar flare to that period of time to set things straight if Penny returns when expected.  
  
You wonder who that'll end up being?  
  


* * *

  
  
**YEARS IN THE PAST...**   
  
**BUT MANY...**   
  


* * *

  
  
**_"PENNY POLENDINA HARLEY!"_**  
  
You wince upon exiting the gate and hearing your name be called out.  
  
Standing by the DHD is a woman you can only guess is Little-Aunt Jade grown older, or Big-Aunt Jade at about the age she was around Christmas.  
  
"Do you have ANY IDEA!?" She steps out from around the DHD and- Oh. Relto Book. It's Little-Aunt Jade Grown Big. "ANY idea how worried I was when you pulled this stupid stunt! How many ropes I had to pull JUST to get it so that I could be the one to come back here and set this stupid loop right!?"  
  
You brace yourself for the scolding of a lifetime.  
  
Instead, you just get hugged, and tightly.  
  
"Damn it, Penny..." She hugs you tight, not letting go. "You're so goddamned lucky Ka'turnal's mistake didn't wind you stuck here before there was even a Stargate."  
  
"...Mistake?" You ask. "What do you mean...?"  
  
"She remembered the wrong week of the month and ended up giving you the wrong Flare entirely when she looked it up in the Database. We're lucky you wound up back somewhere we needed to close a loop off for anyways, or-" She shakes her head, and just squeezes you tight.   
  
"Can't Breath, Aunt Jade," you tell her.  
  
"Just... Damn it." She sighs, slowly letting you go, then looking you in the eyes. "Just be glad that we've got a few return flares soon that'll set everything right."  
  
"Am I in trouble?" You ask.  
  
"Like you wouldn't believe," Jade laughs, tiredly.   
  
"I'm sorry," you hang your head.   
  
"Hey, it's okay, it'll be okay," Jade says, resting her head against yours. "Just... Just next time ask me before you want to use my Relto Book, okay?"  
  
You sniff, and nod. "Okay."  
  
"Right, then..." Jade takes in a sharp breath, and exhales quickly. "Now then, you gotta show me what Ka'turnal gave you, and i'll tell you what you need to do, alright?"  
  


* * *

[And then events proceeded as previously seen.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14119788/chapters/33541863)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am, of course, referring to Weiss hiding herself away from Ruby and pretending to be just a fancy tech-orb. Ruby is going to be understandably pissed when she finds out her ascended love interest has been hiding right under her nose all this time and lying about it.
> 
> This plot arc was never going to resolve nicely, folks.   
> \---
> 
> ...
> 
> You can go back and read the chapter normally now if you skipped down here, actual end of chapter spoilers follow.
> 
> ...
> 
> ...
> 
> ...
> 
> \---
> 
> Okay, so! Penny. Yeah. Penny's arc through time really got flubbered nastily by the whole Ganos Paradox her older-alt self made happen. At this point, to ensure that no alternate doomed Penny's got spawned, Ka'turnal/Older Cassandra had to rig things in a slightly different order so that the *presented information* matched, and wasn't creating even more paradoxes.
> 
> Things didn't go according to plan, in that regard. Because Ka'ssandra legitimately got the wrong flare date for the whole thing. Off by a Week. It works out, but just barely. 
> 
> Atleast we finally find out who buried that danged 9 symbol Gate Address Tablet, and why when it was specifically chosen to be buried. Yep. Future Jade Harley! I'd always intended it to be someone of the youngest generation of the cast, but I wasn't sure how young it was going to skew. It could have been an older Penny, for example, that went back and set herself on the right course.
> 
> For *Other* plot reasons that surfaced, however, Future Jade Harley had to be the choice for this. Namely, Penny ran away from Harley while she was babysitting her! Rude, much. 
> 
> Speaking of Harley, that mini arc of her thinking of Jade Jackson as a mother substitute finally hits a major payoff. She finally just comes right out and asks her older-altself to pretend to be her mother sometimes? There's a bit more to this arc than that, but, yeah, this arc was coming up eventually.
> 
> I mean, we had Nepp and her mini-arc with Nepeta breaking a limb with a tree limb, and then June and Rose E. with their Shaper Misadventures... It was time for Harley to get her mini arc. And hoo, out of all of them, I honestly think this one's one of the most hard hitting. 
> 
> Then there's the Cat. 
> 
> The Cat that's working with Weiss in her little "Costume Orb" or whatever you wanna call it. I said I was avoiding introducing new characters unless absolutely necessary at this stage and I meant it! She claims to be an Alternate Jade, but goes by the clearly stolen name of Ezabi? What's that about!?
> 
> Well, spoilers, obviously. But just as obviously, those two are working together to deal with something G-Man and Hircine related... Funnily enough, as it's always been for Weiss, given her introduction with the whole suppressed memories subarc in the Hunting Realms two parter. You may start to see where these arcs are coming together as we reach the endgame. 
> 
> \---
> 
> Unrelated note, if anyone sees this fic, or any artwork related to this fic, posted on an archive or any other site that doesn't tie directly to me, please let me know, because there's always a chance that someone may have stolen it without asking first. 
> 
> If you're wanting to do something of that nature with this fic- or, say, want to do something vaguely transformative like dub Act 0 and the first chapter of Act 1 with voice acting, the right thing to do is ask me first. 
> 
> What brings this up, you might ask? Some jerk opening an "Archive" and uploading stuff to it without any of the creator's permission. Didn't even ask first for any of it. That's just insane amounts of 'why are you doing this?' -_-;
> 
> Without going into too much further detail, let's just say I'm of the opinion that it's a shittily run and designed archive and that anyone could do better on both counts, and likely should. Make a better archive and don't base it off this guy's stolen work.
> 
> There's a reason I've got the "Don't copy to another site" tag up there and basically-- please just ask first? Chances are I'll have a much more favorable reaction than having something stolen. 
> 
> I should probably write up some boilerplate document and add it to the starting notes of Act 0... 
> 
> Oh, right, before I forget: Next Chapter: MINISODE: A Constant Stream of Interruptions. See you all Monday/Sunday.


	32. MINISODE: A Constant Stream of Interruptions.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lynera gets a visitor.

**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 10TH, 2004.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 08/24/0007.**  
  
A galaxy away from Pegasus, sitting quietly inside her room in Cryptarium, was Lynera Skalbi.   
  
She sat cross legged, eyes closed, breathing evenly in something akin to a medatative stance.  
  
"Lynera!"  
  
She dutifully ignored the hissed calls for attention by her new block-mate from across the hall.  
  
"Lyneraaa!" Joey Lalonde made to throw a fist, but wound up smacking the end of her arm against the door instead- hissing. "Ow! Fuck!"  
  
Lynera did not react beyond a faint smirk on her lips.  
  
She wasn't going to make herself the fixture of someone else's development while she herself was still trying to get her own head on straight.  
  
"God damn it, Lynera! Pay attention to me!"  
  
Nope. Not happening.  
  
"Lynera, I swear to-"  
  
And then there was silence.  
  
Lynera opened her eyes, because silence was not the normal.  
  
She listened for several long moments...  
  
But she couldn't even hear the woman across the hallway from her breathing in pain. No, she couldn't even hear anything else.  
  
Everything had gone silent.  
  
Lynera stood, and turned towards the window in the door.  
  
She gazed across the hallway, and saw through the other door's window that Joey Lalonde was frozen in place, mouth locked mid sentence.  
  
Her eyes, however, were darting around, panicked.  
  
And then there were footsteps, and the G-Man stepped into view, placing himself between the two of them for all of several seconds that no doubt were being spread out across an even shorter span of real time.  
  
Then, he turned to face Lynera, and opened his mouth.  
  
"No," She said simply.  
  
"What?" He asked, blinking.  
  
"I said no." Lynera said. "Whatever you want. Fuck off. You took Vance and left me to fall to my death. Get lost. I don't want to see you again."  
  
The G-Man abruptly adjusted his tie. "Well. Then. If that is how you feel about it."   
  
And then Lynera felt her body lock in place, as the G-Man's focus turned to Joey Lalonde.  
  
"Hello, my-"  
  
_**"YOU BASTARD!"** _She yelled. ** _"You set me the fuck up with some broken down bracelet!"_ **She waved her left arm around- sans hand. ** _"YOU FUCK OFF INTO A VOLCANO! YOU FUCKING-"_**  
  
And then she went silent again, frozen, mid rant.  
  
The G-Man adjusted his Tie again. "Ssso... Much for- Talking things out. It sseemss... I will have to take an... Alternate Approach."   
  
And then he stomped off down the hallway- before his footsteps vanished, and Lynera and Joey Lalonde both felt control of their bodies return to them.  
  
"Gaaah..." Lalonde hissed. "Who the fuck does he think he is?"  
  
Lynera narrowed her eyes, and answered that question, "I don't know Who he thinks he is, but I know What he is. And it's Trouble that's gonna get over confident and kill himself doing something stupid one of these days."  
  
And with that, she returned to where she'd been sitting and meditating, and resumed her stance of tranquil meditation.  
  
Joey Lalonde would resume her pestering in five, four, three, two...  
  
"Hey! Hey! Lynera!"  
  
Lynera Skalbi ignored her, and settled into her meditation stance best accomplished with this specific level of noise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Surely, though, the G-Man is immortal though?" I hear you asking. Well, the thing about that is... We just plain don't know what the G-Man's entire deal IS. He might just be very, very, VERY conditionally mortal, or he could just be mortal pretending to be immortal. Or he's some gestalt of interdimensional whatevers.
> 
> Point is. We just don't know.
> 
> As Aradia would ask, "Isn't that just Exciting!?"
> 
> \---
> 
> Next chapter: SGA: 05X12: Outsiders on the Outside.
> 
> \---
> 
> EDIT: I apologize for any weird notifications on this chapter. Something went funky on posting.


	33. SGA: 05X12: Outsiders on the Outside.

**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 13TH, 2004.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 08/27/0007.**  
  
Your name is Mallek Adalov, and you can't help but suppress a wince as the new Stargate is properly locked into the new clamps in the sub floor.  
  
The SUB FLOOR. You haven't even gotten around to putting in the replacement floor yet. The last week was spent digging out the liquified chunks of ground left behind by having them caught inside of the city's shield with a massive explosion, not to mention the damage the rest of the mechanical floor took in the blast.  
  
It's a hole in the ground where there shouldn't be a hole, but atleast there's a Stargate in place now.  
  
"Powering on initial connections..." Mckay calls out from the mostly restored Control Room. "Feeding test power into Stargate."  
  
You check the equipment, and gaze at the clamps holding the Stargate in place and...  
  
"Connections look steady," You report.   
  
Keiko orders, "Everyone clear the floor!"   
  
Everyone backs away from the Stargate, you head to the Control Room.  
  
"And beginning Dialing sequence!" Mckay calls out.  
  
The Stargate lights up as it used to, and the glyphs spin with a slow and steady progression of "Chevron Blah, Encoded" until it reaches Chevron Seven and---  
  
 **WAA WAA! KAWOOOSH!**  
  
"Connection successful! Systems in the green! And with that Atlantis is back on the Gate Network!" Mckay reports, proudly. "Again."  
  
Again being that you'd been using a bog standard Pegasus Space Gate that the Daedalus had harvested temporarily. The thing hadn't ever been moved out of the Daedalus' cargo bay, and the ship was still sitting on the South-East pier for the time being. Now it would be put back where it was, or ditched in orbit somewhere else if the need was dire enough, and the Daedalus could fly again.  
  
"Atleast we can stop relying on that stupid Mark Three Pegasus Spacegate," Keiko says. "Damned thing wouldn't even accept a nine chevron address even with the Atlantis Control Crystal."  
  
"Security being what it is, it's perfectly understandable," Mckay says. "Still, better to have a custom, brand new machine than an old, used model, am I right?"  
  
You look to Keiko, she shrugs, and you sigh. "Well, from a mod-ability standpoint, you've got a point there, Rodney."  
  
"Naturally," Mckay grins. "So! Now what?"  
  
Keiko checks a checklist. "Looks like now that we have a stable connection again, Doctor Beckett's requesting medical supplies."  
  
“Huh,” Mckay blinks. “I’d almost forgotten that when he left again that it was to start doing the traveling doctor thing, rather than go back to Earth.”  
  
“He did go back to Earth,” you remind him. “Then he came back and started doing the traveling doctor thing.”  
  
“For as little as Carson’s actually around these days, though,” Keiko shakes her head. “Honestly? It’s easy to forget.”  
  
“Is there any team going to do resupply?” Mckay asks.  
  
“Doctor Keller is going directly, and she's requested AR-1 for security tag along,” Keiko answers.  
  
“Oh, great! I was hoping that’d be the case.” And with that, Mckay heads off to go gear up, you guess. Because he leaves without saying a word.  
  
“You know,” you start, “some days he seems to be really getting over the whole ego thing. And then some days he just does That.”  
  
Keiko laughs, then says, "In the mean time! Let's get a few temp bridges in place for them to use when they gate out."  
  
"Yeah," you nod.   
  


* * *

  
  
The G-Man appeared in the frozen hallways of a Wraith Hiveship, and approached the commander.  
  
"The people- from Balar. The ones infFected by the Hoffan drug... that you seek... can be Found... At Thiss Address..." The G-Man whispered a Gate Address, and then left.  
  
When time resumed, the Wraith Commander snarled. "I have a hunch as to where the Balarans may be hiding."  
  


* * *

  
  
[ **O <\--- STARGATE ATLANTS --->O** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0K2bRdtGlg)

* * *

Nestled within a small bowl at the basin of some large hills in a forested area was a village nearing its industrial stage. Blacksmith shops ran, and people went about their day to day lives.  
  
Teyla Emmagan- sitting at dinner with her team, Doctor Keller, and Doctor Beckett as they conversed about current events- suddenly tensed to attention.  
  
John Sheppard glanced at her. "Something wrong?" he asked, quietly, so as not to be overheard.  
  
"Wraith," She whispered in return. "A small scouting party just exited the Stargate. I think there's about nine of them."  
  
"No Darts?" Sheppard asks.  
  
"No," she shakes her head. "But they are making their way towards the village."  
  
"Well, that's not good," Sheppard answered.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Can I ask you a question?"  
  
Your name is Kanaya Maryam-Lalonde, and you look up from your work as Minori hovers near your desk.  
  
"Sure, what is it?" You ask.  
  
"Okay, so," Minori sits on the edge of your desk, fidgeting with the edge of her jacket's skirt-edge. "It's something of a personal question, I guess. But... Okay. So." She takes a breath after repeating herself on that opening two words. "Touya and Yuuki are moving back to the Unwritten," she explains. "Silica and I are staying here, and Keiko's staying here. And I know we're just linking books and Stargates away, but... How..." she frowns. "How do you get over the feeling that your decisions to do something are leaving the familiar you grew up with behind?"  
  
You frown. "I honestly don't know if I'm the best person to ask that on, given my family history of constant traveling. I didn't really have any stable familiarity to give up in exchange for a new decision. If anything, I gained it in exchange for changing my circumstances."  
  
"Hmm... I can see how that's a different sort of experience," Minori nods.  
  
"If anything, you might be better off asking Rose," you say. "Or Sheppard, when he returns. That said, I think if you're looking for my opinion... sometimes change is necessary. It takes us all in different directions and it doesn't matter where we go in life, even if our circumstances are taken on a course we didn't foresee."  
  
"I'll see about talking to them after my shift's done," Minori nods. "And, thanks for the advice, Kanaya."  
  
"Any time," you answer. And once Minori makes her exit, you return to your work.  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Richard Woolsey, and you frown as you gaze down at the Stargate from your office. The floor is being rebuilt around it by various experts in their fields, and should be expected to be finished in about a week.  
  
Whether or not you'll continue to be here is another story entirely.  
  
"You're not still worrying over the whole impending IOA visit, are you?" Argo asks.  
  
"They're insisting that we move up the already scheduled visit ahead by several weeks," you say. "How can I Not be worried?"  
  
"If they were going to fire you, they'd have done it already," Argo reminds you. "Precedent shows that's what they do. They don't confront face to face, they do it at a distance."  
  
"And isn't it strange how that's the exact opposite of how I preferred to do things?" you ask.   
  
"It's really not," Argo answers. "They're cowards. As much of a dick as you were at times, Woolsey, you weren't that."  
  
"Thanks," you answer. "Atleast I have that going for me."  
  


* * *

  
  
In another galaxy, the Stargate on Haven activated, and Penny Polendina Harley stepped through the gate, not sure exactly what to expect.  
  
That her parents were back to their usual ages and standing there waiting by the DHD with concern on their faces was the best possible outcome of everything imaginable.  
  
Penny ran for her parents. They ran for her.  
  
The ensuing double hug was reassuring and emotionally cathartic on many levels.  
  
But overall, the wrap up of that time loop happened without much other significance beyond a single dangling thread.  
  
"What happened to the Cat?" You ask.

Alas, the cat is nowhere to be found at this point in time.

* * *

  
  
Your name is Jade Harley, and you stare blankly at your homework sitting before you.  
  
You're just procrastinating at this point.   
  
You heard that Penny came back just fine. so... why are you just... scared of going back home again?  
  
You know Big-Bro Jude and Aunt Cassie aren't mad at you, so... why don't you want to go back home? Yeah, you've been going to school, but- commuting across galaxies via Linking Books and teleporting isn't, exactly, well...  
  
It's not the most stable of things to do, honestly.   
  
And more importantly, why do you keep trying to avoid doing one thing with another thing you don't want to do! Just pick and choose something already, Harley!!  
Homework or Emotional Introspection, what's it going to be??  
  
You really don't want to do either. Both have to be done...  
  
You don't want to think at all right now is the problem, but your mind keeps coming back to these two things.  
  
You gotta do homework. But. Also. You gotta figure out what you're going to be doing going forwards.  
  
Alas, your brain refuses to get out of the gridlock.   
  


* * *

  
  
_**WAA WAA! KAWOOSH!**_  
  
The Gate activates, and AR-1's IDC comes through the gate- a red alert signal.  
  
Evacuees are coming in hot.  
  
Your name is Amelia Banks, and you stare, watching as a whole village's worth of people come running through the Gate, over the unstable flooring.  
  
Security funnels them this way and that, and... you set an automated sensor to count evacuees.  
  
Ten, twenty, thirty... Fifty, Seventy... Hundred. One twenty. One Forty...  
  
Holy Shit. This is literally a whole village's worth of people.  
  
Two Ten, Two Sixty.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Woolsey asks, staring at the influx of people.  
  
Chuck answers, "AR-1's evacuating the people, Sir."  
  
"How many people!?" Woolsey asks, astonished.  
  
Three thirty, three sixty, three eighty, four hundred-  
  
"I'd say all of them?" Chuck answers.  
  
Four twenty, four fifty- five hundred.  
  
"What the hell would prompt all of this for?" Woolsey asks.  
  
"I'm guessing Wraith?" you offer.  
  
Five fifty, five... eighty? The crowd peters to a halt.  
  
Then, Keller and Beckett come racing through the Gate at speed, along with AR-1 running through behind them, yelling as a group for shields.  
  
You raise the Gate shield-- but the system buzzers. That system hadn't been restored yet.  
  
"Shit!" you swear, and yell out- "System Error!"  
  
"RODNEY!" Sheppard orders instantly, and the Doctor throws a force shield up infront of the Gate.  
  
Moments later, several large flashes crash against the green wall, and Mckay yelps in shock in the time it takes for the Gate connection to shut down.  
  
"Colonel Sheppard!" Woolsey runs to the nearest balcony and calls down. "What the hell just happened?"  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is John Sheppard, and you give one hell of a report in the instant you were asked that question.  
  
"Too Long, Didn't Write The Report Yet? Some Hangry Wraith tried to make a deal, and then decided that getting what they wanted wasn't good enough and decided to try and Cull everyone anyways," you answer.   
  
Woolsey stares at you in confusion, then asks, "Hangry??"  
  
"You know, they're hungry and angry?" You offer.  
  
"I thought that was their commander's name?" Ronon asks.  
  
"It can be both!" you say, shaking your head.   
  
Woolsey grimaces, then nods. "Alright. Well. I look forwards to seeing the entire mission report."  
  


* * *

  
  
"I think the answer to your question, Minori, is that it can be cathartic and heart wrenching all at the same time." Your name is Rose Lalonde-Maryam, and you sip at your tea, sitting across the table from your wife's co-worker on the small balcony off of one of the hallways near the cafeteria. "It's catharic, like ripping off a bandaid that's overstayed its welcome, but at the same time, it wrenches the heart with pain, knowing that what you've left behind is at best, gone forever, or at worst, soon to come back around in ways that hurt and harass."  
  
Minori nods, accepting that.  
  
You continue on. "Though, if I may be candid for a moment? You've already uprooted yourself many times before. What makes this so different from the other times? Is it rather that being the one doing the uprooting, it's someone else who is pulling up their roots and leaving you behind?"  
  
Minori considers that, then gives a nod. "I think so, yeah."  
  
"Then you simply have to be prepared for the realization that you cannot control every aspect of your life at all, no matter the Aspect you wield or command," you say. "There is some light that will be forever swallowed by a black hole to never escape, after all. Therefore, there will always be a singular large aspect of your life that you will never be able to control. The willpower of other people. For as long as you contend with the idea of controlling others, trying to make them bend to your wills and whims, the higher the chance of the likelihood of them rebelling against you rises." You pause to sip your tea. "But at the same time, you can't let others decisions affect your own so as to uproot you from a situation you don't want to leave, after all. If you're content to stay here in Atlantis, then stay, knowing that despite your Brother and his Mate moving on with their lives for reasons unique to them, they're not doing it out of spite. That's the worst thing to assume. That they're doing it out of spite."  
  
"I'm pretty sure that they're not," Minori said- pausing. "...But I'll admit the thought hadn't crossed my mind. 'Did I do something wrong?' I know it's bullshit, but..."  
  
You chuckle dryly, shaking your head. "That's the inbuilt paranoia everyone deals with to some degree or another, with varying situations and the like. Always a nagging wonder if other people are making their decisions based on you. It's a common motif that runs through human history, and Alternian History, and, uh..."  
  
"Alfheim and Aincrad's History too?" Minori offers.  
  
"Yes, well, I didn't mean to presume," you cough, politely. "Ah, but the point is... What I'm trying to say is..."  
  
"Humanoid beings tend to have a selfish streak when it comes to worrying if they've offended people into doing things that get them away from them?" Minori offers.  
  
"Pretty much," you nod. "Though, there are some cases where that's definitely the case, but, it's not too common place, atleast, I hope."  
  
Really, you wish and pray and hope that everything that's happened with Kanaya and Aradia's version of Joey isn't a thing that's happened again and again across any number of imaginable worlds.  
  
It's just a sad thing to visualize and imagine.  
  
...  
  
You really hope it's not common place, but knowing the universe, there's less than 81.6% chance that it happens far more often than anyone would be comfortable with, and that makes you shudder in mild terror.  
  
You take a long sip of tea and try to change the subject.  
  


* * *

  
  
**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 14TH, 2004.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 08/28/0007.**  
  
Your name is Daraya Jonjet, and you peer over Tyzias' shoulder as she looks at the data Mckay had stolen from the Wraith Hiveship he'd temporarily been captured on just yesterday.  
  
"What the hell is this?" you ask, knowing that, but not knowing what you're looking at exactly.  
  
"Keiko wanted me to double check what she saw when she looked over this data," Tyzias explains. "Apparently it's got some fleet movements and-"  
  
The computer beeps in alarm, bringing up the files as Tyzias opens a folder.  
  
"Oh, that's not good, is it?" You ask.  
  
"Not good for most of the Wraith, more like," Tyzias swears. "Am I really reading this right?" She points at, well. The glowing magnitude of red dots in what should have been a sea of blue.  
  
"I think so. Because I'm seeing a startling amount of Wraith Hiveships that got exploded last month," you answer. "And in the weeks that followed-? Unknown system failures which would match up with Todd's fleet taking them out, and besides that-"  
  
"A whole fuck ton of Magnum attacks blowing up everyone else," Tyzias finishes. "Holy Shit. What the fuck are we even looking at?"  
  


* * *

  
  
"From the looks of the recorded broad-wave message that was sent out," your name is Rodney Mckay, and you lead the briefing. "The Attero Device's destruction was advertised to the Wraith EARLY. How early you ask?" You motion to Sheppard, who begrudgingly answers:  
  
"How early, Rodney?"  
  
"By just a few minutes INTO the Attero Device's activation, early," you answer.  
  
"So for all those hours that the Attero Device was active, Wraith were under the impression the device had been dealt with?" Woolsey asks.  
  
"And it wasn't just sent from one source, but several," you continue, moving onto the next slide in the presentation. "Including, a very familiar section of space."  
  
"Isn't that the rendezvous point for our alliance with Todd and the Travelers?" Teyla asks, of the coordinates on screen.  
  
"That's because it is," you say. "And guess when that signal went out compared to our perception of local events?"  
  
"When?" Ronon sits to attention.   
  
"Exactly one minute after Todd radioed back to his Hiveships after seeing the destruction of two other ships, crashing against hyperspace windows and scuttling themselves," you say.   
  
"That's why they sent the Magnum," Sheppard realizes. "They had to have detected the Hyperspace distortions and wanted to test if it was affecting both types of Hyperdrives."  
  
"That's a risky move, given the apparent Lengths Todd went to to collect one of those things," Woolsey observes.  
  
"Not as risky as you think," you say. "Keiko and Tyzias both double checked the data, and I even had Mallek and Zelenka look it over. All of us are 100% certain that it's no mere coincidence that Todd's Alliance of Wraith Hives are hitting targets that the unknown Magnum pilots AREN'T, and vice versa."  
  
"You're not saying what I think you're saying, are you?" Sheppard asks.  
  
"There is exactly zero overlap in the registered attack patterns between the two groups," you answer. "Exactly. Zero. Percent. Overlap. Do you know how absurd that'd be for two different fleets to go on the attack like that and NOT run into eachother?"  
  
"Todd's played us," Sheppard summarizes it. "He said he'd been betrayed but it was all a trick, wasn't it?"  
  
"We can't prove that without Boldir getting in mind reading range," you say. "For all we know he was telling the truth the first time and he worked out an arrangement afterwards. But, well, it doesn't really matter at this point. Because in the dumbest of all dumb moves, the last bunch of times we've talked with Todd? We've left Boldir out of it because we assumed Todd was going to play nice."  
  
"And that's including the time we learned about the Magnums being a thing anyways," Sheppard grimaces. "He probably never had to steal one to begin with!"  
  
"Never Trust a Wraith," Ronon grunts.   
  
"So Todd's been playing us regarding the fact that he owns the Magnums, and is using them against his enemies just as he is using the Retro Virus we gave him to convert enemy Wraith into humans," Teyla says in summary. "As shocking of a turn of events as this may be, I am seeing a sudden decrease in the population of the Wraith in this Galaxy from this data we recovered. And with the spread of the Hoffan Drug that Medea cast out into Pegasus... Any Wraith not caught up in Todd's crossfire are going to risk death every time they feed from now on."  
  
"I have to agree with Teyla," Woolsey says. "From the way I'm seeing things, this is a repeat of when the Replicators stormed Milky Way. The Goa'uld's last strongholds were essentially wiped out during the conflict. How exactly is this a bad thing for us?"  
  
"For starters, Todd's lied to us," Sheppard says. "He played us from the start! How do we even know that he didn't steal more than those three ZPMs he said he stole from the Replicators?"  
  
"That's another troubling concern," you say. "If Todd's really become the uncontested super power in Pegasus he seems to be? What's going to stop him from coming after Us? Or Worse, go after Milky Way, or Alternia? And if he's willing to lie about the Magnums? What's stopping him from lying about other parts of his powers? Like the idea that large planetary populations make him unable to read minds?"  
  
"We took him to Earth," Woolsey swallows. "Oh, Dear God."  
  
"There's also the problem that even if Todd IS willing to play nice with us, what's stopping some other Wraith in his Alliance from turning right around and backstabbing him and taking over the whole show?" Sheppard asks.  
  
"This is like Ba'al all over again," Woolsey hangs his head in grief.  
  
"Atleast Todd hasn't found a way to clone himself," you joke.  
  
Then, Ronon glances at you with a dangerous look.  
  
"Oh, God," you realize. "What if Todd's found a way to clone himself?"  
  
"Thanks for jinxing us, Rodney," Sheppard says, grimacing.  
  
"I am so fired," Woolsey mumbles.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Akita, and you're about ready to sigh in exasperation as Lloyd makes a U-turn from the Transporter for the third time this conversation.  
  
"Look, Akita, I just don't know if I should really do this or not," Lloyd starts fidgeting with a captchalogue card. "I mean, what if she doesn't even celebrate this stupid Earth Holiday anyways?"  
  
"Lloyd," you put a hand on his shoulder and look him in the eyes. "Look, the way I see it. You just have to go up to her and ask her if she would like to have a lunch date. That's all. Just two people, talking. That's all it is. You don't have to make anything special out of it if neither of you want to."  
  
Your ears twitch, as you pick up conversation from down the hall.  
  
 _"-uby, come on! I don't-"_

_"-just gotta talk with her! Cmmon, Gray!"_  
  
So much for getting Lloyd to make the first move in this case.   
  
"And Lloyd?" You start.  
  
"Yeah?" he asks.   
  
"Just remember one thing, you don't have to make more out of this unless she does. And just, Talk. Talking is good. Talking is paramount to any kind of interaction in a relationship, platonic or otherwise." You remind him. "Also, I don't think you're going to get much of a chance to go first anyways."  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Lloyd asks before Gray rounds the corner, with a trio of girls standing behind her.  
  
Ruby Branwen, Rhubee Xaolon, and Kohiru Karren- who looks just plain confused, unfortunately for everyone involved.  
  
"Ah! See! There he is!" Ruby grins. "Told you I smelled him this way!" She pats Gray on the shoulder and then takes a few steps back. "Go on and talk with him!"  
  
"Ruby!" Gray's protest is ignored as the D'ni girl grabs her Alternian twin and both abscond.  
  
"Huh? What?" Karren glances around. "Why's everyone leaving?"  
  
"I'll explain," you sigh, moving over, grabbing her by the arm, and dragging her slightly down the hallway away from the two blushing, panicking potential lovers. "Lloyd, Gray, we'll just be down the hall. if you need a convenient interruption, just call for a Pineapple."  
  
"Pineapples?" Karren asks once you've quickly exited normal human and Alternian hearing range. "Why would they need that?"   
  
"So I know whether to provide a convenient interruption if they can't talk things through," you answer.  
  
"Ohhh... Right." Karren nods. "So, Uh. You don't actually have to explain anything to me, alright?"  
  
"Ah?" You ask in turn. "Let me guess, playing dumb to try and give Gray an out?"  
  
"Yeah. Didn't work all that well," she sighs.  
  
"Well, hopefully..." Your ears twitch as the two start talking.  
  
 _"Sorry I- No! You should- I mean you ought to-"_ Talking over each other, that is.  
  
"So," you cough, as they start their usual flustered interactions, this time without any shoulder bumping. "How's things been going?" You attempt the TECHNIQUE OF: IDLE CHIT CHAT BETWEEN CASUAL ACQUAINTANCES.  
  
"Oh! Good," Karren nods. "We've, uh, been training new recruits on the Lancer for the time being, but we're supposed to be getting in a shipment of new Mega-Plas on the next Apollo visit! Gray and Ruby are getting their own mech!"  
  
"Oh, that's neat," you smile. "What's it called?"  
  
"Astraaayyyeeeeeaah?" Karren frowns. "It's either Astray or Astraea, not sure which. Apparently it's got a folding arm sword! Or, uh, a laser beam arm sword? I'm not sure which, actually."  
  
"Well, it'll be a surprise, I guess," you pause, ears twitching with the sound of two Captchalogued items being de-captchalogued.  
  
"HERE!" They both start, and you glance back down the hallway.  
  
Gray's offering a box shaped like a heart, and Lloyd's offering a smaller rectangular box of simple chocolate mints that aren't actually wrapped at all.  
Well.  
  
That's certainly an exchange.  
  
You'd helped Lloyd figure out what'd be the most plausible candy gift that wasn't too ostentatious if she happened to want nothing to do with a relationship but...  
  
Oh. Well. Heart shaped boxes are pretty hard to misinterpret.   
  
"Do... you... want to go out for lunch maybe?" Lloyd offers.  
  
"Yes!! Um. Yes. Definitely." Gray accepts, trying to keep her cool.  
  
"Oh thank goodness she actually went through with it," Karren sighed in relief. "I don't think we would've heard the end of it from Ruby if she hadn't. Especially on Valentines day."  
  
"Does today mean something special to her?" You ask.  
  
"She didn't tell us much, but..." Karren pauses as Gray and Lloyd head down the hallway past you, mumbling idle conversation on their way to the Cafeteria. Once they're gone again, Karren finishes. "Ruby's girlfriend asked her out for the first time on Valentines day."  
  
Your ears twitch as you hear someone sigh in relief. You glance back down the hallway, and see Ruby Branwen holding her hands over her heart, even as the strange little orb on her shoulder gazes up at her face in a rather oddly fixated way.  
  
"Huh," you say to Karren, "I did not know that."  
  
"Yeah." Karren glances the same way you are, and gives a small wave. "We didn't either 'til a few nights ago."  
  
...Ouch.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Mister Bregman, Lord El Melloi, what can I do for you two?" Your name is Richard Woolsey, and you feel an odd sense of foreboding in your stomach as you let the two big name players, who make a habit of being unseen by the day to day, into your office.  
  
"It's nothing major, really, at least, not yet," Emmett Bregman begins, once he takes his seat. "Just, Waver and I were talking and..."  
  
"We've noticed some strange budget cuts from the Earth side of the budget," Lord Waver El Melloi the Second continues.   
  
"Ah, yes," you scowl. "The IOA's idea of 'tightening the belt,' as it were."   
  
"They've tried to end my contract early," Bregman states.  
  
"What?" You ask. "When was this?"  
  
"Just last night," Bregman says, and you immediately start chasing down data points. "Now, they can't do that because Alternia is providing a good 60% of my filming budget anyways, and a few of the other groups backing the Expedition have been picking up the slack too, to no real strain as they've said so far, but the IOA's been trying to keep them from do that, too."  
  
"Which when brought up to me," Waver says, "triggered some concern of mine. It's almost like they don't want public recognition of the events happening in Atlantis."  
  
You scowl as you check other emails on budgeting... How did you miss THAT growing pattern?  
  
"Infact, it's startlingly like they forget that the Expedition isn't funded by Earth Alone," Waver continues. "A damning thing, in all honesty. There's been talk among my fellow Department Heads in the civilian departments."  
  
"What kind of talk?" You ask.  
  
"They've all received similar budget modifications within the last week," Bregman says. "Contracts tried to be canceled early. People being forced to change policies or else they lose funding. It's insane what's going on here."  
  
"It's blackmail, is what it is," you realize. "They've tried overt methods of control, now they're going for more subtle, sinister means."  
  
"I'm considering calling a meeting with Atlantis' Charter Signatories," Waver starts. "We may need to discuss things, and soon, before the IOA begins making their next move."  
  
"I agree," you say, pitching your hands into a triangle, and resting your jaw upon your thumbs. "This is getting ridiculous."  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Rose Lalonde, and you sip at your tea as you sit across the cafeteria table from Jade Jackson.  
  
"So, have you had any luck convincing Mini Harley to head back home permanently again?" You ask.  
  
"Yes and No," Jade winces, holding her own cup of tea close to her chest. "She's willing to go back to Earth for school and stuff, and she's willing to go back to live with Jude and Cassie for a while because she knows we don't have the space here for everyone to live in one place at once in our current apartment, but..."  
  
"She wants to live on Atlantis?" you ask.  
  
"John and her argued for a bit, and she said that if it came down to it, she'd just live on her Relto for the rest of her life," Jade answered.  
  
"Oh, good grief," you sigh.   
  
Jade takes a sip of her tea, and then nods. "Yeah. It's... I don't know what's going on with her now. I'd rather she not be on her own, but I also don't want her uprooting her entire life back on Earth just to come live with us on Atlantis on impulse!"  
  
You sigh. "Well, how long would you insist she wait before she makes a decision like this?" You ask. "How much thought do you think she should put into it? Because I'll guarantee you she's likely thought about this a lot longer than most of us have thought."  
  
"I... I dunno?? Until she's 13, at least!" Jade sipped at her tea, and put the cup down on the table. "I just-" She crossed her arms. "I wish I knew what to do, Rose! I can understand her wanting me to act like her mom from time to time, but- is that really enough for her to leave everything on Earth behind for??"  
  
"Bare in mind I haven't spoken with her about this, and I probably should, but I think it's a matter of stability for her," you venture. "For most of her life she's been bounced around from family member to family member on a day to day basis. A community raising along with the other kids, for sure, but it's much more unstable than the other kids have had. Mini-Me and June have Roxy, Nepp has Davis and later Karkat. But Jade? Throughout it all, her biological Father's been either indisposed or living on Atlantis, her biological Mother is dead, and the closest thing she knows to a sister-slash-mother figure is starting her own family, and has become a mother herself. It's only natural that she'd seek out the comfort of that stable nexus."  
  
"But she's been living with Jude and Cassie the last few years, shouldn't that help?" Jade asks.  
  
"And Jude and Cassie have been part of SG-1 that entire time too, traveling from this world to that world..." you shake your head. "And then they entrust Penny to her, and Penny takes the first opportunity to Gate back in time she gets. Personally, I think she doesn't see that environment as stable anymore."  
  
Jade visibly swallows nothing but air. "I guess... that's..." She shakes her head. "I just don't know, Rose. It's all messed up. I feel just as responsible for her as I do Casey and Lizzy and I don't know what the right thing to do is!"  
  
You can't help but smirk, and say, "Welcome to being a Parent, Jade." If you had a mic, you'd drop it. But you don't. 

And so then you sip at your tea instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bunch of plot threads progressing here, subtle as it may be. 
> 
> Finally comes the reveal that Todd's been behind the Magnums the entire time! Man. What a sneaky liar, that one! Wonder what ELSE he's been up to behind our narrative lens' focus? But yeah, Todd's Atlantis' Ba'al!Tier Villain here. He'll gladly work with the heroes, but also gladly backstab them at any given moment, or use them for his own ends. He's just a BIIIT more savvy than Ba'al ever was, though. Helps that he can read people's minds where Ba'al couldn't. XD 
> 
> Rose gets some screen time. She really oughta start working with Heightmeyer in the therapy department, if she isn't already.
> 
> Lloyd and Gray finally stop dancing around eachother. Good for them! 
> 
> Next chapter: INTERMISSION: Rooftop Catwalk.


	34. INTERMISSION: Rooftop Catwalk.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose and Harley have a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: Due to Explanation in End Notes, The END of this Act is Now VERY SUDDENLY UPON US.

**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 16TH, 2004.**  
  
 **DIASPORA DATE: 08/30/0007.**  
  
"Hey, Harley," you are Rose Lalonde, and you knock lightly on the door of the guest room that Jade Harley's been crashing in. "You home?"  
  
"Yeah," there's a pause, then the door opens, and nine year old Jade stands there, gazing up at you. "Sup?"  
  
"I wanted to have a talk. Walk with me?" You ask.  
  
She hesitates a moment, then nods.  
  
You idle chit-chat about TV and any new books she's read lately before you take her to your intended destination- transporter straight to the Jumper Bay.  
  
Harley seems surprised as you then take her up a stairwell going up and up and up and then you're on a small balcony somewhere above the Jumper Bay's roof doors.  
  
Somewhere around here is a hidden box containing a fake Rule Breaker, but you're not here for that.   
  
"Some view, huh?" You ask.  
  
Harley goes "Oooh" as she stares out over it all.   
  
"Sometimes I come up here to think when things get tough," you tell her. "It's my new equivalent of getting up on the roof of O'neill's cabin back when I was around your age."  
  
"The Aschen Timeline, right?" Harley asks.  
  
You nod. "Mmh. it was... something bad, that time. We all lost everything, and kept on losing more."  
  
"That's gotta suck," Harley observes.  
  
"It did," you say. "We all just wanted things to go back to how it was. To live with everyone we'd been living with, to go to school, to not have to live in fear of our lives..." You frown. "Well, atleast of being taken out by the Aschen Government just because we were aberrations. We kinda stuck out, then."  
  
"We still stick out now," Harley mumbles, and you would've missed it if not for your cat ears.   
  
"Ah? Really?" You ask. "I woulda thought that with everything with the Rift and kids getting powers all over you'd just blend into the crowd."  
  
Harley's face flushes red- evidently she didn't mean for you to hear that, or say it out loud, for that matter. "It's- It's not like that!" She says with a slight stammer.  
  
"How is it then?" You ask.  
  
There's a pause, then...  
  
"...People treat us like celebrities," Harley answers. "They ask us about the SGC, or what planets we've visited or... Other stuff. Stupid stuff. June tried not to let it get to her, but all the questions about if she was dating me and Nepp just because John Sheppard's dating Argo and-- You know! It's Rude!"   
  
You pretend not to notice the cut off there regarding her older self.   
  
"Mmmh. That it is," you say.  
  
"And it's not just the other kids! Atleast they get their answer and leave us be! It's the teachers too!" Harley continues, venting out her frustrations. "And we tell Uncle Davis, and he goes and shouts at them for a bit, and they lay off for a while, but then they just go right back at it and it never ends! 'Free speech' this and 'my rights' that! Stupid, IDIOT TEACHERS!" She decaptchalogues something small and hurls it out towards the ocean with a small burst of her powers.  
  
A green flash, and there's a distant burst of water spraying upwards into the sky, far, far, far away from Atlantis.  
  
Angry Jades are angry and terrifying to piss off when they have the power of a Nuclear Shotgun.  
  
Harley huffs, and huffs, and you see tears brimming in her eyes. "And they don't think I can hear them sometimes, but I do. I can hear them in their stupid lounge, talking and gossiping worse than the kids! They say stuff without even knowing if its true! The bullshit they say about June!! It's- It's all just 'I heard' or 'someone told me' and it's! Just!!! I want to scream!"  
  
"It's alright to scream," you tell her. "Nobody'll hear you from up here. And, I'll forgive any expletives you might want to use right now."  
  
And so Jade Harley takes in a deep breath, and she does.  
  
She yells a super, duper, non power augmented, _**"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!"**_ at the world. She stops, take a breath, and then continues. _**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSS!!!!!"**_  
  
Ah, you're pretty sure she got that one from Major Vantas at some point.  
  
She huffs, and huffs for air, then slumps down onto the floor, sniffing.  
  
You sit down next to her, and place a hand on her back, giving her some support. "Feel better now?"   
  
"...Little bit," she answers. "I still just... wanna hurt 'em. I know I shouldn't, but... it'd be so easy to..."  
  
"We've all dealt with that," you say. "It's part of why John, Jade, Argo, and I came out to Atlantis." You hesitantly hedge a question. "Is that part of why you want to move here too?"  
  
"S'not just me," Harley sniffs. "The others hate it too. Atleast here people don't treat us like identical clones of people they see on TV. The kids backed off of June, but the teachers just... It's horrible, what some of them say." She shudders. "I haven't told June because she thinks nobody cares, but... But it's horrible. They keep calling her John, and saying she's a He and- it's- I- Fuck! I just want to punch them and rip their faces off!!"   
  
And you notice her fingers shifting into claws as she says that.  
  
Hoo. So the wolf-y bits are coming in early with this pup. You're not entirely surprised, only just... about 10% surprised?  
  
Doesn't matter, in the end.  
  
"Harley," you start, "I know you don't want to repeat it all, and I wouldn't ask you to unless it was very important... But..." You swallow. "I need you to write down what they've all said, who said it, and when, so I can take it against them. People who talk like that shouldn't be teachers, and if Davis has warned them off already--"  
  
Shit, there should be records against them already, shouldn't there?  
  
"I've got a notebook," Harley decaptchalogues a small, angry red looking notebook with an angry face scribbled on its cover in black marker. "I've kept track incase I needed it."  
  
You take the notebook, open it up and leaf through the pages...  
  
"Harley, this is-" This is HIGHLY inappropriate! You close the book. "These people are going to get fired."  
  
"Does it even matter if they do?" Harley asks, glancing at you. "Just cause they get fired doesn't mean they won't try something else later on. People like that... They don't move on just because you tell them off once. It's not like on TV. I'm not that naieve."  
  
You captchalogue the notebook, and you pull the girl into a hug.   
  
"They'll just try something worse, and worse, and worse, until they do something so bad and-" Harley continues on, shuddering and leaning against you. "We just want to get away from that. All of us. Earth sucks."  
  
"That it does," you sigh.   
  
She has a point. Just look at cases like the Trust. Or half the shit the IOA pulls. People who don't care about lives they're ruining by being horrible people.  
  
You can get behind the idea of savagly mauling someone, to be honest, but what good would it do? You can't just murder every person who says horrible shit about trans kids, as much as you want to, and you can't just bury every person who thinks that Polyamory is 'evil' or kick the balls in of every bastard who thinks he's untouchable because of some high paying job- It's a practicality problem. Eventually you get to a point where you're devoting more time to the hunting and hurting of people who'll probably just hide their horrible ways until the danger's passed.  
  
You can't really change Earth's society right now either, not from Pegasus. Not reasonably at any rate. Not when the IOA are showing the major problem of Earth's governments right now.   
  
You think about the talk Argo has been floating around about their Admin work training Keiko to one day take over for Woolsey. You think about the rumors buzzing beneath the surface conversation in the Cafeteria in place of all the romance talk the last few days.  
  
There is a Storm Brewing.   
  
There's a potential of discontent among the people of Atlantis-- a growing realization that the other supporters of the Expedition are much more friendly and welcoming and agreeable than the IOA backed motives of Earth have been.  
  
General O'neill said something about planning to retire from the head of Homeworld Security in the next few years. When he's gone from there, who'll stand to check the IOA's ambitions?  
  
It's a discomforting thought.  
  
The talk and the rumors and everything that's been going on is...  
  
"Aunt Rose?" Harley asks.  
  
"Yeah?" You answer.  
  
"Is there anything we can do?" she asks. "To just... get everyone we care about off of Earth and never have to deal with it again?"  
  
And there's a question, isn't it?  
  
Is there something you can do so that Atlantis never has to deal with Earth again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Due to an Impulsive realization this morning, I came to the sobering conclusion that I really wasn't happy with how the pacing for the End of Act 6 Act 6 was shaping out, and I REALLY would've been happier if I broke more of it off into Act 7's opening stages. 
> 
> So. I am.
> 
> Tomorrows chapter, SGA: 05X13: Inquisition, is the FINAL CHAPTER of Act 6 Act 6. I think this change works out best for *everyone.*
> 
> \---
> 
> On today's chapter, we get a scene where Jade reveals school life back on earth Isn't all sunshine and rainbows. I'll admit a good chunk of this chapter was me venting some of my own frustrations towards the failings the school system gives kids these days, but it was especially brought on by learning of some especially nasty Congressional Bills in various states targeted against Trans Kids health and-
> 
> Anyways. Nothing says a good vent like yelling "FUCK ASSES" into the air at the top of ones lungs over the City of Atlantis. 
> 
> Jade needed a good vent. So she gets one.


	35. SGA: 05X13: Inquisition.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> End of Act 6 Act 6. Atlantis is put on Trial for crimes against Pegasus.

**EARTH DATE: FEBRUARY 20TH, 2004.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 09/03/0007.**  
  
The G-Man stood idly by as he watched a Wraith convert into human within an isolation chamber.  
  
Then, as the poor, dazed human-Wraith began to get to his feet from the floor, another gas was poured into the room, exposing him to the meta virus that would transform him into one of those transforming Wraith Mech Ships his... ally seemed so fond of making.  
  
"It iss... An interesting Proceedure," The G-Man said. "But, one ultimately useless to my goals."  
  
"Oh, I don't believe that for a minute," Todd smirked, reclining in a chair, and tossing a small orange from hand to hand. "You arranged for me to be able to make use of those Asgard activating their Attero Device, after all. And I've made... Ample use of the time bought by such a move. So many of my enemies slain by their own Hyperdrives!" Todd chuckled.   
  
"A means to... An End," the G-Man said. "Nothing more. In the end, Atlantis survived its- destruction. Annoyingly."  
  
"Yes, they have a habit of surviving the impossible," Todd says, "it's why I don't plan on betraying them any time in the next century. It's liable to get me killed!"  
  
The G-Man turned to the Wraith, observing him for a moment. Then, he asked, "Why... Have you asked me here? To show off your progress- with the Retro Virus?"  
  
Todd raised his right hand, showing the feeding slid upon its palm. "I asked you here to tell you that your suggestion worked! My doctor tells me the vestigial remnants of the feeding system will fade away within days. Now, my people can Remain Wraith without this... pesky need to Feed."  
  
"I see," The G-Man smirked. "Congratulations on your... Newfound freedom."  
  
It wasn't a pleasant smirk, Todd observed. It was one that spoke of imminent Betrayal. He matched it with one of his own- although he masked his betrayal much more smoothly.  
  
"Thank you," Todd says. "Now, I'm sure you have places to be."  
  
"Indeed," The G-Man says. "I have... a Trial to prepare for."  
  
"Let us shake on our alliance, then," Todd offered his hand. "A... Prelude to the victory at hand."  
  
"Of course," The G-Man offered his hand in turn, and they grasped.  
  
The G-Man froze instantly- eyes widening in pain. "Wh-What the--??"  
  
"You made one mistake, fool," Todd tightened his grip as the G-Man tried to pull free- tried to teleport away but found that he couldn't for some reason.   
  
The G-Man fell to his knees, his skin growing paler than usual, and growing wrinklier. His hair began to gray rapidly. "Wh- Wh--"  
  
"You forgot the fact that I could read your mind from the very beginning, no matter how well you hid your thoughts," Todd flashed a toothy grin. "We never applied your Retro Virus suggestion, let alone I myself foolishly daring to take it!!"  
  
"Y-You'll pay-" The G-Man started to protest, but he was feeble and old. Oh so old now.  
  
"No! You are paying right this instant for the very foolish idea that you could _betray me! **Back Stab Me!"**_ Todd leaned in close. "Worse. You thought I wouldn't have noticed that you were setting up the Atlantians to fail? _Hmf!_ I wonder how smoothly this trial of yours will go... _**Without YOU Present For It?!"**_  
  
And then Todd sucked out the rest of the man's life- squeezing out every last drop of vitality, and leaving the end result a husk of a shell rapidly decomposing into a skeleton dressed in a business suit on the floor.  
  
Todd smirked as he kicked at the bones in the suit, and then picked up the skull.   
  
"You really should have known better _than to try to betray me, fool,"_ Todd said, before dropping the skull to the ground, and ordering to a lieutenant to dispose of the remains within a Stargate vortex.  
  
As that was done, Todd glanced into the shadows, and saw a Bahro kneeling behind a machine. It gave him a curt nod in thanks for the opportunity.  
  
He smirked, and gave a small wave, and the Bahro linked away.

"What a day today has been..." Todd mused with a smile on his face.  
  


* * *

  
  
[ **O <\--- STARGATE ATLANTS --->O** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0K2bRdtGlg)

* * *

**EARTH DATE: MARCH 8TH, 2004.**  
  
**DIASPORA DATE: 09/20/0007.**  
  
Your name is John Sheppard, and you come to awareness on some kind of stage within a forcefield in...  
  
Oh, god, it's a trial room.  
  
Sitting high above you in a desk are three people.   
  
Snipits of the conversation from Atlantis's conference room floats through your mind.  
  
_Woolsey spoke, "As you may have already heard, we have received an invitation…or more precisely, your team has received an invitation to represent Atlantis at a meeting of leaders from various human populations throughout the Pegasus Galaxy."_  
  
_"What's this? A Pegasus version of the United Nations?" Mckay had asked._  
  
_"Nothing quite so formal," Woolsey had answered. "More of a loose 'coalition.'"_  
  
Nothing Formal your ass. This is a Trial by fire, isn't it?  
  
"I am Kelore of Latria," one of the men begins. "This is Shiana of the Tribes of Santhal," he spoke of the lone woman on the judging bar. "And this is Dimas of the peoples of Riva. We speak on behalf of the Coalition of United Worlds."  
  
"You know," you start to get to your feet. "If you wanted to speak to us in an undisclosed location, there are easier ways than gassing us to sleep. Like blindfolding! We wouldn't've peeked. I swear."  
  
"Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard," Kelore starts, "you stand before this council as a representative of the Atlantis Expedition. And as such, it falls to you to answer the charges."  
  
"Charges?" you ask. "What charges? What are we being accused of and by whom?"  
  
"You will be given ample opportunity to present your defense. And when all evidence is heard, we will decide the outcome," Kelore continues. "The Atlantis Expedition has been accused of crimes against the peoples of this galaxy. This is your trial."  
  
Ah, hell. You hate it when you're right.  
  
"You know this was supposed to be a meet-and-greet right? Just talking and food?" You offer.  
  
"Subterfuge was necessary," Dimas says. "You possess technology and military power beyond the scope of most of the indigenous peoples of this galaxy."  
  
"Which is why you have been brought to a secure council. Only the members of this council and key personnel know the 'gate address," Kelore states.  
  
"So don't waste your time entertaining any hopes of rescue," Shiana smirks.  
  
"Alright, fine, but you still haven't answered my questions. Who's accusing us, and what are the charges?" you ask. "Because if it's just you three, I'm beginning to have my doubts about any of this being fair."  
  
The three of them exchange looks.  
  
"The... Accuser has gone missing," Dimas says.  
  
"...Well, ain't that convenient," you grouch. "Let me guess, either a fancy woman in blue robes calling herself Medea, or some pale skinned, jerk-ass in a suit who refused to give his name?"  
  
They tense at the latter one.  
  
"Great," you say. "Just so you know, if it's the guy I'm thinking of, that bastard's been trying to arrange for armies from another dimension to invade Pegasus for at least a year or more. Him not being here just screams imminent betrayal. Just so you know."  
  
"We can get to that later," Kelore says. "He knew to be here, and has yet to arrive. That's his fault for not being able to back up his accusations with his proof."  
  
"According to his calculations, as well as ours, the Atlantis Expedition is responsible, directly or indirectly, for the deaths of over two million people in this Galaxy."  
  
"We'll start with your first encounter with the Wraith," Kelore starts. "Tell us about it."  
  
You sigh. "Okay, fine, I see where this is going. You're going to accuse us of waking up the Wraith, right?"  
  
"Indeed," Shiana states. "We are. Were he here to provide proof, your Accuser would be stating that you intentionally woke them up."  
  
"Now that's just rude," you say. "First off, the thing you gotta understand about all of this is that the Wraith were going to wake up from Hibernation early anyways, no matter what we did or didn't do."  
  
"And how is that?" Dimas asks.  
  
"Not to point fingers at an Ally of ours, but they weren't at the time," you say. "By their own admission, The Genii were blowing up Wraith Hiveships accessible via Ground Stargates for a while before we arrived. It was only a matter of time before they attacked the wrong Hive and woke them all up."  
  
"Interesting," Kelore says. "So you're saying that the Genii would have eventually have destroyed the Wraith Hive that you assaulted and destroyed?"  
  
"Assaulted, yes, destroyed?" You scoff. "Hell no, we didn't destroy it."  
  
"Then why is there nothing but a crater where your Accuser says it was?" Shiana asks.  
  
"Because the Hiveship took off after we left," you answer. "The crater was where it was parked."  
  
They give each other considering looks, then, Kelore demands you start from the beginning.  
  
"Alright, so, we arrived in Pegasus, and the City wasn't in good shape. Things were flooding, and, I should point out, in an alternate timeline, we all died to that flooding before we ever gated out into the Galaxy at large," you explain. "When we arrived on Athos, we found markings from a survivor who'd time traveled, and left a warning for us that the City would have flooded and stayed sunk if they hadn't arranged things differently. While we were examining that message, the Wraith arrived and attacked the settlement, kidnapping both Athosians and my people- including my then Commanding Officer."  
  
"And so you went after them?" Kelore asks.  
  
"We did," you say. "We had to."  
  
"You should have left them to their fate," Dimas says, dismissively.  
  
"No, you don't understand," you say. "We HAD to rescue them. When we got to the Hive, and we began the rescue, my CO, Colonel Marshal Sumner, was being _Interrogated By The Queen._ She was digging information out of his mind. Information of where we'd come from. Two galaxies, Milky Way, and Alternia. If I hadn't killed the Colonel as I was _Ordered To_ **By Him _In That Moment_** , and if I hadn't _Killed the Wraith Queen in Self Defence_ , and if we'd left the Wraith to do with him as they wanted, they _**STILL WOULD HAVE WOKEN UP,**_ " you stress that fact. "And then they would have culled Pegasus early anyways, and moved on to our home galaxies and spread out into the universe at large."  
  
"So you shouldn't have come," Shiana states. "Then the Wraith would have never woken up."  
  
"What part of the Genii blowing up Hiveships anyways didn't you get?" You ask, a little dryly.  
  
"Why you-" Shiana starts to protest.  
  
"Silence, Shiana," Dimas says. "The Colonel makes a valid point. A rescue operation was necessary in that case. We all would have done the same in their shoes. To protect our families from the Wraith? I see no fault in that."  
  
"Likewise," Kelore nods, "I see the logic in the fact that the Genii would have eventually woken up the Wraith. However, while we will have to ask them ourselves in due course on another date and time before we can fully dismiss the charge, I vote to suspend it for the time being."  
  
"Agreed," Dimas nods.  
  
"Most of the human populations of the Galaxy had not recovered from the last round of cullings!" Shiana protests. "Many worlds have been driven to the point of extinction, their survivors scattered, their civilizations lost forever!! And you dare to vote to let this slide!? Vote to Blame FARMERS!?"  
  
"The Genii have been known to be very militant in some private circles during the time before the Atlantis Expedition arrived," Kelore states. "In fact, that they've calmed down in their tendencies since their arrival could be considered a Boon to Pegasus' stability."  
  
"But the fact remains many who have been killed would be alive today if you had never come here. Isn't that true?" Shiana asks, glaring at you.  
  
"Maybe some would be alive, maybe others would've died in their place," you answer. "The only way you'd ever know for sure would be to travel to a timeline where different events happened." You scowl. "Look, is this the only charge or are there others? Can I leave and ask for a recess so I can talk with my people and get someone actually prepared for this kind of trial?" You pause, then ask. "And what happens if I just walked out of this room right now?"  
  
"If you refuse to participate, it will be taken as an admission of guilt on all counts. And we will have no choice but to proceed to sentencing," Dimas states.  
  
"And what's the sentence?" you ask.  
  
"We refuse cooperation," Dimas says. " That means no more trade, no more relations of any kind. Atlantis will be completely isolated. The Coalition grows in strength and influence every day. Soon enough, all of your current trading partners will have no choice but to join, and therefore, to abide by the ruling of this council."  
  
"And as for you and your team," Shiana smirked. "An example will be made. Justice demands it."  
  
"Justice, huh?" you ask. "And what's that? Execution?"  
  
Dimas answers, "A suitable uninhabited planet has been chosen. If you're found guilty, you'll be sent there without any hope of return for the rest of your natural lives."  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Rodney Mckay and you can't help but groan as you hear Sheppard repeat those words.

"Apparently, the, uh, planet they picked for us has just enough food for us to survive, so, technically it's 'not an execution,'" he concludes.  
  
"Great," you start pacing the Jail cell you, Teyla, and Ronon woke up in.  
  
"Oh, and they took the DHD, too, so whoever comes through isn't coming back," Sheppard says.  
  
"The Daedalus could find us," Ronon says. "Or Cassandra, or any of the other seers."  
  
"Sure! But short of that?" You ask. "They'd still need to search every solar system in the galaxy for a habitable planet, which would take all of like, what, like a million years?"  
  
"Let's not panic, alright?" Sheppard says. "I've got a pretty good sense of the layout of this place thanks to the airflow."  
  
Teyla observes, "The architecture is definitely different from that of the village."  
  
Sheppard continues, "No, we're on another planet. Judging by the fact there's no natural light or windows, and how the air's moving around, I'm guessing an underground bunker."  
  
"Guards?" Ronon asks.  
  
"About half a dozen or so," Sheppard answers. "We'll have to see if they change shifts."  
  
"I don't suppose there's any chance you could just convince them that we're not guilty. 'Cause we're not, right?" You ask.  
  
Everyone looks at you, doubting.  
  
"I've got no idea what charges they're going to throw at us, Rodney," Sheppard says. "We lucked out with the first charge. But if the G-Man's been lying into their ears, there's no telling what they'll throw at us."  
  
"There is no way they actually believe the Pegasus Galaxy would be better off if we didn't come here," you state.  
  
"No," Teyla says. "But since your arrival there have been setbacks. Lives have been needlessly lost. But there is now hope where once there was none. It's an improving situation."  
  
"And as much as I'd like to tell these guys where to put this trial of theirs? We've got to play along until we either get rescued, or we convince them we're innocent." Sheppard says.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Did you hear? AR-1's been kidnapped!"   
  
"What? Seriously?"  
  
Your name is Lloyd Armadn, and you can't help but hear the rumor mill circulate over the current discussion topic.  
  
"Mister Woolsey is proving to be quite the wolf in tracking them down! I heard he's dispatched another three teams to search off world for them!"  
  
"No way! That's insane!"  
  
You finish up your lunch as quickly as you can, and you see Akita doing the same from across the table.  
  
AR-9 is one of those teams being dispatched.  
  
"I wonder if this has anything to do with the meeting with the Coalition of Planets?"  
  
"You think so? That'd be crazy if they kidnapped them! I wonder what they'd want Sheppard's team for?"  
  
"Who knows! It's crazy, i tell you!"  
  
You both head for the gear rooms, splitting off per locker room side, and you arrive finding Soul gearing up.  
  
Major Lorne is there, looking a tad annoyed as he converses with some random Lieutenant you've never had the pleasure of meeting before.   
  
"No, we already checked out M3R-993," Lorne shakes his head. "The villagers didn't see a thing, and even if they did, they're not telling us."  
  
"You think they're moving them through multiple Gates?" the Lieutenant asks.  
  
"It's likely," Lorne sighs.  
  


* * *

  
  
You are John Sheppard once again, and soon enough, you're brought back to the "Tribunal Chamber" as they're calling it.  
  
"Well, what's next on the agenda?" You ask. "Did we step on someone's rose bushes by accident?"  
  
"Perhaps you've heard of a plague that's recently swept through several worlds," Dimas begins. "A sickness that arrives suddenly, runs its course in a matter of days, and typically kills one out of every three men, women, and children wherever it strikes?"  
  
"There are those who believe it is not a sickness at all, but a deliberate poisoning. The work of one individual," Shiana accuses.  
  
"That'd be Medea," you answer. "She's not one of ours, by the way."  
  
"it is said she is a powerful magic user," Kelore says. "But before your Expedition came here, Magic was not a thing that was available to our people. Please, explain."  
  
"We were caught off guard by Medea being here too," you explain. "The thing you gotta understand is she comes from another dimension- a whole other parallel world line that's not even from any of our galaxies. She..." you wince. "She's bad news any way you slice it. Historically, she cursed an entire people in that world, about a thousand or more years ago, in that other world, to have slow birth rates, crippled stamina. Shit like that. Then she vanished. Everyone thought she'd been killed, but somehow she not only jumped dimensions, but across time itself. By the time we realized she was here in Pegasus, she'd already been doing genetic experiments on people for months."  
  
"So you claim innocence towards bringing her here?" Shiana asks. "Despite the proof your Accuser laid of her working with one of your own people? Aiden Ford?"  
  
"Ford went insane," you tell them, grimly. "Atlantis got attacked by the Wraith, and during the Siege, a Wraith started to feed on Ford. They got blown over a balcony railing and crashed into the ocean. The Wraith Died, and it flooded Ford's body with this enzyme that the Wraith pump into people to ensure they survive through the feeding process. By the time we fished Ford out of the ocean and got the Wraith off of him, his body had grown dependent on it, and it'd started... making more. To keep him alive."  
  
"And this Enzyme... it affects the mind?" Kelore asks.  
  
"To say it affects the mind is an understatement," you say. "Ford started seeing other versions of reality instead of our own. Kept ignoring people who were in front of him, started seeing people who weren't there. He stole a ship and escaped through the Stargate before we could stop him and figure out a cure. By the time we finally did catch him, it was because Medea back stabbed him, and betrayed him. He wasn't useful to her anymore. We did find a cure for him, eventually, but we had to keep him in a stasis chamber until then."  
  
"When was the last time you encountered this Medea woman?" Shiana asks.  
  
"Not me personally, but one of our diplomat teams got captured by her, and the people she was being forced to work with. People in another dimension seeking to take over Pegasus to use it as a breeding ground for more troops to spread out into other worlds," you explain. "And this is where it ties back to the guy who's accusing us but not actually here, actually. After the team involved with that incident scuttled their plans, and left Medea to die there, we found out the bastard in the suit was working with them too. One of our people got caught up in a rescue mission back in Alternia and found that his agents were trying to build a portal between their dimension and our dimension. They stopped it, but he later sent more of his agents directly to Atlantis in an attempt to steal information from us AND kill random people in our expedition."  
  
"And are you sure that this Medea is dead?" Dimas asks.  
  
"She has the ability to teleport, so not 100% sure as of yet," you say. "But we've dismantled her organization, and the plague she unleashed on Pegasus hasn't been surging in numbers like it did originally when she was pushing it out. At this point even if she IS still alive, she's more likely to come after Atlantis than you guys. And we can ensure that 100%."  
  
"And why's that?" Kelore asks.  
  
"We stole one of her ritual artifacts. Just some ceremonial knife that she used as a magical focus," you explain. "If she's still alive? She'll come after us looking for it. And if she does, we'll be waiting for her." 

The Tribunal shares looks with each other.  
  
"Look, if the guy accusing us is the same guy who set all that shit up? Then you're being used to detain us because he wants us out of the picture- probably so he can get his hands on that knife for Medea!" You say. "And they'll probably try killing each other anyways! There's a lot of chronic backstabbing going with them."  
  
"You do realize that all this talk of other dimensions, and time travel, does not lend much credence to the idea of your sanity, yes?" Shiana frowns.  
  
"Look," you say. "I know it's a tough pill to swallow, but it's true. Time Travel, and Parallel Dimensions exist. Hell, just dial up a Stargate and travel through it during a Solar Flare. You'll wind up somewhen else entirely. We're sane. It's legit science."  
  
"You've mentioned your interactions with the Genii, before," Kelore starts. "Their plans for blowing up Wraith Hiveships, as you mentioned."  
  
"Yeah," you say. "What about it?"  
  
"What can you tell us about your side of things?" Kelore asks. "Because the way I hear it, depending on which faction of the Genii you ask, the Atlantians are either backstabbing murderers, or life giving saviors."  
  
"So, okay. That's a bit of a sciencey thing, but..." you narrow your eyes. "What exactly do you know about explosive devices? Specifically, explosive devices made out of the mineral the Stargate's made out of?"  
  
"They are highly explosive, a greater yield far more destructive than normal explosives," Shiana says. "The Stargates themselves create massive explosions when they alone explode."  
  
"Then you oughta know that the mineral they were using for their bombs- we call it Naquadria- is a highly energetic, vastly more unstable version of Naquadah- the mineral the Gates are made out of. You run a single current through the rock, and it starts super charging and it just doesn't stop until you cut the current. And when it gets like that, it puts out Radiation before it even starts to explode. Think, uh, you know how you burn yourself on a stove top by touching it accidentally?" You snap your fingers. "Now imagine that to your entire body on a cellular level. The Genii weren't shielding their bombs right, and worse, their whole planet has a core of the stuff, that was getting all excited by the testing they were doing. Naquadria Radiation was pouring out into their entire civilization for generations, and it was making them go crazy. Paranoid. They turned on us before we even finished opening negotiations, and they accused us of killing someone intentionally, when we didn't. It'd been a freak accident."   
  
"How, then, did you become allies?" Kelore asks.  
  
"It wasn't easy. Especially not when one of their strike teams was ordered to attack Atlantis. One man- that strike team's commander- killed three of our people, including our acting Commander, Doctor Elizabeth Weir," you explain. "But he didn't just kill OUR people. He shot and killed several of his own men, and some of the still sane ones realized he was going to get them all killed either through stupid orders or by his own gun. We worked together, stopped him, and we promised the Genii the means of healing their people from the radiation poisoning as well as get them better bomb shielding. Some of them didn't see it as us saving them, though, and splintered off before we could get them cured of the radiation poisoning."  
  
"I see," Kelore nods. "That tracks with what I have heard."  
  
"I heard of Doctor Weir," Dimas says. "And I'd also heard of her sudden demise at the hands of the Genii as well. I'd hoped to meet her one day. A shame, really."  
  
"You can't seriously believe this," Shiana glares at them.  
  
"We can and do," Kelore says. "The vast majority of the Genii people claim in near unison how Atlantis saved their lives. I see now why those who sing their evils are so few in number, and why their stories never seemed to match."  
  
Shiana huffed, crossing her arms.  
  
"Moving on from that subject," Dimas begins. "It has been claimed that your military successes against the Wraith are over exaggerated. Please, without exaggeration or boasting, list every time you've destroyed Wraith Hiveships and how."  
  
You wince. "You'll have to forgive me if I miss a few. It's been a couple of years of nonstop warfare, after all."  
  
"In summary, then," Dimas says.   
  
"The first showing we gave to the Wraith that we could hurt them that really comes to mind is when the Wraith came to Atlantis," you begin. "We had a defense satellite that they destroyed, but not after we took out one or two of their Hives. The next one, we flew a suicide bomb down their throat, and then, eh... the next six or twelve we laser blasted into oblivion? I don't mean to brag or exaggerate, but the Hyperbeam laser tech we use on our Battleships can cut through most normal Wraith shielding and armor without trouble. We usually had one of our ships go out on Hive blasting missions during their travels in and out of Pegasus up until the Replicators started attacking. But when we didn't have those on hand, a good trick usually is to get them to start shooting at each other."  
  
"Interesting," Dimas muses. "Anything else?"  
  
"We've come into ownership of a few Ancient battle ships over the years, but we have those parked over the former Replicator Homeworld until we figure out how to build more," you answer.  
  
"Speaking of the Replicators... You have been accused of awakening them by tampering with their source code," Kelore states. "And accused of setting them upon the Wraith, and the people of Pegasus, intentionally."  
  
"...Okay, that's just plain wrong. We never got a chance to mess with their source code until well after they went directly hostile against us," you answer. "As for setting them loose? Somebody else did that to them, but it wasn't us, and we never did really figure out who it was. If I had to place my bets, though, it'd be someone who's dead now because I can't see the Replicators letting them live."  
  
"I doubt that," Shiana scowls.  
  
"Look, tech like the Replicators has been a recurring problem that our people have fought against in just about every other Galaxy we've had contact with," you say. "As soon as we know what we're up against, we try to figure out how to destroy it, not use it."  
  
"And yet you claim their homeworld for study," Shiana sneers.  
  
"Because it's the most intact source of Ancient tech left in Pegasus," you say. "We've already dismantled every piece of Replicator creating technology left on the planet and in Atlantis too. They're not coming back through any action of ours."  
  
"Enough!" Shiana declares. "You spin a colorful tale, Colonel! But it is all fantastic claims, and no evidence beyond your word!"  
  
"Well if you'd told us there was a Trial we'd have COME with Evidence!" you say. "Back on Atlantis I have my body camera footage from that first mission where we ran into the Wraith every time that mission gets called into question because every now and then someone gets a stick up their ass and wants to take their pound of flesh out of me for Following a Direct Order! We have data logs, and proof of everything from other dimensions to time travel! If you'd let us in on what was happening as a proper trial, we'd have brought our evidence to bare, and you wouldn't have to believe JUST my word!"   
  
She leans back, eyes seething in disgust.   
  
Then, a door opens, and a man enters, moving over to the Tribunal, and speaking to them.  
  
"I believe we should take a recess," Kelore says after a moment. "Take Sheppard back to his team."  
  
You're guided back to the cell and- What the hell?  
  
"Woolsey! What the hell are you doing here?" You ask.  
  
"I've made an arrangement with your captors," Woolsey says. "I'm taking over your- Our- defense."  
  
"Don't suppose you managed to bring data about everything that-?" You start, and Woolsey nods.  
  
"I'm nothing if not prepared, Colonel," Woolsey says.  
  
"What about the DHD?" Mckay asks. "The planet we were taken from, if you could have pulled the most recent address dialed from-"  
  
"We already did that," Woolsey says. "There were over fifty addresses in the buffer of the first planet. We checked them all, almost cleaned out the city sending enough people to investigate, but... Nothing."  
  
Teyla realizes something at that moment- "They took us through more than one Stargate."  
  
"So it would seem," Woolsey nods. "This is very well thought out on their part. A Clever plan. But they made one mistake."  
  
"And what's that?" Ronon asks.  
  
Woolsey smirks, "I was Harvard Law Review. I was chief counsel of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Prior to that, I was an appellate advocate for Hartshorne & Slaughter, one of the most prestigious litigation boutiques in all New York City. I can handle three tribal elders with nothing but a stack of papyrus."  
  


* * *

  
  
You are now Richard Woolsey, and you stand before the Tribunal.  
  
Kelore, Dimas, and Shiana.  
  
You lay out proof and evidence of everything Sheppard already showed them. Security camera footage, data logs, bodycameras, B Roll from Bregman's Documentary- you name it, you show them the proof.   
  
Then, you explain the history of the Replicators as you've been able to uncover it from examining their world. From their creation, to their razing, to the Replicators somehow modifying their own source code with help from an unknown source, with directions to be turned on Atlantis first and foremost- Information that the top brass has kept secret since discovering it.   
  
And then, when the subject comes up, you lay out the case for the most recent cause of the galaxy's turmoil.  
  
"Several years ago, a rogue team of thieves stole a ship, and a dimension crossing device known as a Quantum Mirror, and experimented in creating a Hyperspace Drive that could travel between dimensions, it failed, exploded, and created the rift that floods our universe with the Magic Element Zillyum. In the process, one of our ships was lost in the blast, thought destroyed, but instead transported through space and time into the hands of people who sought to use it for nefarious ends," you explain. "The Sovereign Slayer was designed as a Supergate Buster, designed to destroy a Spaceship sized Stargate on the other end to prevent an invasion. It was a weapon designed to only be used in those specific circumstances and was heavily restricted in its use via hardware and software programming locks. Multiple passcodes were devised to unlock its potential. That these were bypassed- that the ship itself was stolen from us- were from events out of our control, but we do bear some responsibility for. However, the first act this perverted weapon was used for was to target our own ships."  
  
You show the data from the Apollo's multiple encounters.   
  
"From there, it was used against Wraith Hiveships without abandon, destroying many worlds with Stargates that were caught in the crossfire both intentionally, and unintentionally." You explain. "The aliens behind this are called Vanir," you bring up the camera footage of the aliens charging through Atlantis. "They attacked us, claimed scientists, and technology, that would allow them to activate this device on a galaxy wide scale. And then ignored all warnings to never activate it, because its powercore ran on Naquadria, and would affect more ships than just the Wraith. It affected everyone in Pegasus, including their own hyperdrives. One of their ships destroyed itself attempting to escape our attempts to stop them. All attempts at negotiating with them, failed. All attempts at reasoning with them, failed. We may suffer some culpability for that, but we tried. We did our best to convince them this was not the way, and they ignored our warnings."  
  
You look the three Tribunal members in the eyes, one at a time.  
  
Then, you declare, "if there is anyone that should be on trial for the recent burst of death across Pegasus as a whole, it is the Vanir, not the Atlantis Expedition, for taking this technology the Ancients designed, and using it on such a scale. Countless worlds with Stargates were destroyed- some Wraith occupied, others innocent crossfire- and Atlantis itself was nearly claimed in such a Stargate explosion. Had it succeeded, you would not be having this conversation with us today, even if the device had been shut down when it did, because we would not be here. Just more victims to the senseless, careless violence from a race that cared only about themselves."  
  
"You DARE call yourselves victims!" Shiana yells, and shouts. "Real people are being killed, Mr. Woolsey! Real villages destroyed. My village. My people. My husband and children murdered before my eyes! I barely escaped with my life, but…not before I saw everything I hold dear get wiped out by…a beam of light from the sky. And I will not rest until someone is made to pay for it."  
  


* * *

  
  
"Well, I guess we can rule out getting her vote," Mckay says.  
  
You are Teyla Emmagan, and you frown. "It hardly seems appropriate for someone like her to be on a judging council."  
  
"Agreed," Woolsey frowns.   
  
"So the G-Man stacked the deck against us, so what?" Sheppard shrugs. "If he wanted things going on his rails, he should've been here."  
  
"I'm not sure they did stack the deck against us," Woolsey says. "Dimas seems to be a reasonable man. I think he might even be persuaded to vote our way. Kelore is a little harder to read."  
  
"Didn't you say he was from Latria?" Woolsey asks.  
  
"Yeah," Sheppard nods. "What about it?"  
  
"One of our last intelligence reports suggested a growing relationship between Latria and the Genii," Woolsey says. "He seemed to visibly relax when I showed him the proof of the Naquadria poisoning and the relief aid we gave them."  
  
"So what choice do we have?" Ronon asks. "I say we blast our way out."  
  
"Too risky," Woolsey shakes his head. "No. I think we may not be able to win this fight fairly, but now that I know what the game is, I can play it."  
  


* * *

  
  
You are Richard Woolsey once again, and you're brought into the Tribunal Chamber, where Kelore stands alone near the defense stand.  
  
"Kelore, thank you for agreeing to speak with me," you say.  
  
"Wait outside," Kelore orders a guard, and he leaves you two alone.  
  
"It cost me a pocket watch that belonged to my father before he passed to bring me here," you explain.  
  
"You shouldn't have bothered," Kelore says. "I'm not sure what it is you think I can do for you."  
  
"I mainly wanted to give you three things," you say. "Three key pieces of information, really."  
  
"What's the first?" Kelore asks.  
  
"The first is this," you offer a folded sheet of paper. Kelore takes it, and looks at it. He raises an eyebrow.   
  
"What is ths?" he asks.  
  
"It's a print out of a star map we stole off of a Wraith Hiveship in the last month," you explain. "A vast majority of the Wraith in Pegasus have been wiped out. By our estimations, a good seventy to eighty percent. In the following months, we expect that to rise to ninety percent, with the remaining ten being the victors of the current Wraith infighting. Wraith we may have... temporarily agreed with to deal with mutual enemies, but clearly have their own agenda, and have been playing us as much as we've been playing them. We intend to destroy them come the end of the current skirmish between the Wraith. Once and for all, they will be gone."  
  
Oh God, you really hope the IOA doesn't get your head for this.  
  
"I didn't realize you had those kinds of ambitions," Kelore states.   
  
"Our policy over the years has been hampered by miring interests," you explain. "The Atlantis Expedition is a Multi National, Multi Planetary effort. Many of those nations from one specific world often have... disagreeing interests in mind, stymieing our efforts locally from afar, and hampering the efforts of the others to properly end us aid in the process. We've all been considering... debating, whether or not to cut out those negative influences entirely."  
  
_Oh God, you're really going for this aren't you??_  
  
"What are you saying?" Kelore asks.  
  
"We've been forced to be content to keep to ourselves for most of the time- only acting in retaliation, rather than aggression, unless the situation desperately called for it," you explain. "Our passive destruction of Wraith Hiveships crossing our paths has been one that's started and stopped without reason depending on the whims of these... For lack of a better word, Corrupt Politicians."  
  
_Oh. You Went There. **You Really Went There.**_  
  
"But, you're giving us an out here that we of Atlantis desperately need," you say. "An excuse to go on the aggression that they can't deny us. Because, if it's a choice between getting pushed out of the game and taking a more active part, that's no choice at all, is it?" Kelore nods, and motions for you to continue. "For appearances sake, we can't push too aggressively at first, not without some perceived arm twisting. Say, if we had someone on the inside to help push our agenda and make it seem like we're being forced to act rather than being the aggressors? Well, that would be someone we'd be very, very grateful for. Well, we may have a common Ally in the Genii, but we all know that the Genii alone wouldn't be enough of an aggressive force with the focus they currently have on rebuilding their civilization away from the mind altering influences of Naquadria."  
  
Kelore raises an eyebrow. "And how do I know you haven't made this offer to the others?"  
  
"I think we both know that Dimas will be swayed only by reason, and that Shiana is against us no matter what," you say. "That leaves you to help lend a voice to our cause."  
  
"I see," Kelore muses. "And what is the second piece of information?"  
  
You retrieve another piece of paper, and hand it to him. "After the trial, show this to the other Tribunal members. It's a sketch of the man we've talked about before. The one who we suspect may be this missing Accuser of ours."  
  
Kelore opens the paper, and his eyes widen again. "Oh. That... Yes. That very much is him."  
  
He looks to you, "And you're certain this man is the one behind the attacks against Atlantis?"  
  
"More than that," you say, "we have sufficient reason to believe he was the one who arranged for the Sovereign Slayer to be delivered to the Vanir, and arranged for the recent burst of stargate explosions across the Galaxy."  
  
"Tell me," Kelore requests.  
  
And so you fill him in on the nitty-gritty details you... may have skipped out on during the trial.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Mister Woolsey," Dimas begins. "Are you ready to face the final charge?"  
  
"I am," You state with a nod.  
  
"The people of Atlantis stand accused of Conspiring with the Wraith," Dimas states.  
  
" _Conspiring_ , you say?" You ask, a small smidgen of Jack O'neill bleeding through.  
  
Kelore states, "We have reports that Atlantis has negotiated with the Wraith, and performed military operations with them. It is said you have formed an alliance with one in particular."  
  
"Ah, yes, the one that calls himself Todd," you admit. "Truthfully, it's an alliance born out of mutually assured destruction, but nothing more. You see, among the Wraith, those affected by Zillyum are generally seen as aberrations, and are culled by their own kind. Todd was one of the ones who survived gaining a power- a very potent one. Mind Reading. By the time he approached us, and revealed that he had this ability, we were quite certain he had been lurking around near enough to Atlantis for several days. Enough time to gather potentially harmful information against us. At the time, he simply wished for a potential of communication- as he saw the self-destruction of the Wraith as inevitable, and he claimed to want to back what he saw as the Winning Side." 

"And you believe him? Trust him?" Kelore asks.  
  
_"Of course not._ We always take information he provides with a metric ton of salt unless we're able to back it up otherwise," you explain. "However, he has proven mostly reliable in his desire to see other the other Wraith Dead, even if he seems to want to pin himself as the top dog in Pegasus as an end goal. We only give him enough rope to hang himself with. He tries to hide behind subterfuge and deception, but we know better than to trust him completely. As of our last encounter, he is unaware of our discovery of these following facts: He has two weapons that he uses against his fellow Wraith currently, one is a Retro Virus that transforms Wraith into humans. The other is a specialty design of a transforming Wraith Cruiser. These weapons are leading the rest of the Wraith who do not ally with him into their deaths. This is to our benefit as much as it seems to be to his. By our estimates, when he's finished eliminating most of the Wraith of Pegasus, he will have done most of the heavy lifting and left himself in a position where he believes we trust him. A position prime for us to finish him off, and wipe the Wraith out once and for all."  
  
You pause for effect.  
  
"However, the simple fact of the matter is, there are times where his fleet of Hiveships have come in handy in a sheer numbers game," you state. "The Battle to defeat the Replicators would never have succeeded without the amount of Hiveships he provided to stall their ships in orbit long enough for our plan to succeed. Had that failed, the Replicators would have continued on their rampage, and Everyone in this galaxy would be dead."  
  
"A case of mutually assured destruction, as it were?" Kelore offers.  
  
"Exactly," you nod.  
  
Dimas seems to be considering it all, and Shiana seems dismayed.  
  
"Very well, as that was the final charge, we will recess to deliberate," Dimas says.  
  
"Before we do so-" Kelore states, raising a hand to stall the others. "Mister Woolsey, if you have any final statements, now is the time to say so."  
  
"Of course," you nod.  
  
Shiana seems disgruntled, but allows it.  
  
"Very well," Dimas says.  
  
"The Wraith currently are in disarray, and while we expect Todd- the enemy we know best- to come out on top, the very nature of the Wraith is betrayal. We also firmly expect the high possibility that another Wraith may betray him and backstab him, taking over everything once at the top. If- when- that happens- we will all want to be working together when that day comes. Because they will turn their attention to this Coalition with a ruthless vengeance, the likes of which you've never seen. If you don't want us there when that day comes fighting by your side, then by all means, vote us guilty."  
  
"I need no deliberation," Shiana states. "I say we get this over with now."  
  
Dimas looks to Kelore, and they both nod.  
  
"We shall vote, then," Kelore says.  
  
"I vote Guilty on all Charges," Shiana declares. "Every. Last. One."  
  
"I vote not guilty on all charges," Dimas states. "It falls to you, Kelore. Yours is the deciding vote."  
  
Kelore looks towards you, pursing his lips.   
  
"I vote..."  
  


* * *

  
  
You're Ronon Dex, and you look up as the Jail Cell door is opened... and the guard walks away.  
  
Woolsey enters the cell, and declares: "Not Guilty."  
  
"Oh thank god," Mckay sighs in relief.   
  
"We're free to go?" You ask.  
  
"We are," Woolsey answers.  
  
"I never doubted you for a second!" Sheppard grins. "Nice job, Woolsey."  
  


* * *

  
  
Your name is Argo Lalonde, and you and John stand on the Balcony outside of the Gate Room, staring out over the City and the Ocean at the stars.  
  
"Jade's been dealing with everything back on Earth with Mini-Harley, so she's going to be so mad when she finds out," you're saying to him as the doors open, and Woolsey exits, dressed in a business suit, and carrying a bottle of liquor and a small stack of plastic cups in hand.  
  
"Nice suit," John grins.  
  
"Being back in the courtroom made me miss my old uniform," Woolsey says, handing you and John glasses.  
  
"You're kidding," you can't help but laugh.  
  
"Not the job," Woolsey says. _"Just the Uniform."_  
  
He pours each of you a drink, and you casually all tap the plastic cups together in cheers.  
  
"No glass glasses?" John asks, before taking a sip. "Ah, that's actually not half bad. A bit zippier than I expected."  
  
"The Cafeteria was out," Woolsey rolls his eyes. "And it seemed an appropriate victory, given everything."  
  
"Today's a day for celebrations," you agree, sipping at the surprisingly... Cherry tasting alcohol. Fizzy, a bit, too.   
  
"So, how'd you manage to pull this one off?" John asks.  
  
"Well," Woolsey says, pausing to sip at his drink. "I'd say it was a combination of things: my legal skills, the copious amount of physical evidence the Expedition gathered over the years, the logic of my Arguments... and the bribe I offered Kelore didn't hurt either."  
  
"A bribe, huh?" You ask. "Gee, that doesn't seem like you."  
  
"Tell me about it," Woolsey smirks. "I had to commit Atlantis to a much larger day-to-day participation in the Politics of the Pegasus Galaxy, and also implied that Atlantis was seeking to go independent from a certain, pesky set of Corrupt Politicians."  
  
"...Cutting ties with The IOA?" you ask, blinking in surprise. "Can we even do that?"  
  
"If The IOA fights hard against it, we sever ties with Earth in its entirety," Woolsey says.  
  
"Woah now! How the hell do we do _that?"_ John asks.  
  
"I've been giving it some thought- a surprising amount of it that I didn't realize until today," Woolsey starts. "And I think the first major step is conversing with the signatories of the Atlantis Charter one at a time regarding renegotiating it so that we're not so much beholden to them for resources, but rather... a force of power on equal to them. Saving Earth for Last, after all."  
  
"Naturally," John answers with a roll of his eyes. "Still. What's the point of us being out here if we're not going to finish what we started, right?"  
  
"Let's hope the IOA agrees with you for the time being," Woolsey says. "We just started something dangerous here, today, whether any of us likes it or not."  
  
"We can worry about the specifics of that later," you say. "For now," you raise your cup. "Congratulations are still very much in order. To not having everyone in jail!"  
  
"To not having everyone in jail!" John and Woolsey agree.  
  
As a trio, you take some larger sips of the drink, and consider the future before you all.  
  


* * *

  
  
**END OF ACT 6 ACT 6.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Todd just offed the G-Man in the most gloriously "Heck yeah!" moment that a Wraith Feeding On Someone can get. 
> 
> The G-Man's mistake here was trying to outplay a Mind Reader with a Retro Virus "Fix" that would really just eventually kill any Wraith that took it. 
> 
> We also get a glimpse into what Todd HAS been doing with some of those Wraith he's converting into humans. Turning them right back into Wraith- sorta- Transforming Mechships! Man. Talk about a ruthless and efficient means of being self sustaining. Most of the other turned Wraith go right around into the feeding cycle. Todd's group of Wraith are some of the best rested and well fed Wraith in Pegasus right now because of that. Todd's group hasn't had to cull a single Pegasus Planet's indigenous population at all since they got the Retro Virus as a weapon. And the Magnums? Oh, that's just icing on the cake for Todd.  
> \---  
> The G-Man had several plans in motion before he got offed by Todd there. One of them is a hail marry pass you'll see later down the line in Act 7 (which, was going to be in this act but, yknow, shuffling around for better pacing results), the other was this stupid farce of a trial. 
> 
> It had... very Unforeseen Consequences though. The whole "Severing ties with the IOA" thing just came out of nowhere for Woolsey. But damn if it doesn't feel like the right course of action.  
> \---  
> This was just about the only major Recap Episode in the entirety of canon Stargate Atlantis that I can recall. Much like DISCLOSURE and INAUGURATION before it, it may be a recap episode, but it is a *game changer* in its own right. These kinds of pivot points are always fun to deal with. They're major direction modifiers in ways that just didn't quite seem possible until suddenly they are. 
> 
> It's been a running theme through this story that Earth's Politics have been the most annoying thorn in everyone's collective back for, uh, basically the entire story. (LOL) That we're now heading into the final act that finally will touch on the GIZA REBELLION, as well as this sudden introduction towards severing ties with the IOA... 
> 
> Well, it's right there in the act title for Act 7. 
> 
> TOMORROW: ACT 7: Rebellion Revolution Double Reacharound  
> Next Chapter: SGA: 05X14: Fate in Zero Sum. 
> 
> Hope to see you all there.


End file.
